Fireflies in the Garden
by jazzjackrabbit
Summary: Ichigo is a successful writer, Rukia is...well lots of things. Somehow their paths cross and things happen!completely AU!Rating has changed after chptr21!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** obviously, I don't own bleach, since I'm here writing this ))

**A/N:** this is an AU story and my first fan fiction. I'm a IchiRuki fan so this is going to be one of those stories. I'm not sure about the rating for now because everything depends on your reviews (if I'm going to continue or not). So let me know if you liked it and if you want me to continue. And by the way my mother tongue is NOT English and I don't have a beta reader, so I have to apologize for the mistakes. I hope you enjoy!

_The Old Curiosity Shop_

It was late at night and Kurosaki Ichigo was sitting in his chair, in front of his old typewriter waiting for an idea to come. He bought this old studio with the money from his first deal on his very first book and turned it into his old looking, cozy flat. There was a fireplace with a huge brown fluffy couch in front of it and two matching armchairs with an ottoman rug in the middle. There was a huge black piano where the so-called "living room" ended and the piano was like in between his living room and study "room". There was a kitchen on the other side of the studio and when he bought the flat he made sure to add an entresol, which was going to be his bedroom. He could see downstairs from his bedroom because it was not a full entresol like a second floor but it was as big as a room and a bath. He liked his flat very much in every time of the year. He had roof to floor windows and a huge terrace (though he rarely used) he liked to watch it snow in winter and he liked to watch it when the leaves were falling in autumn.

Inside of the house was another story, all walls (except the little area which kitchen occupied) was full of shelves from roof to floor which held hundreds of books on them. He liked the smell of old books, wood and old furniture. And of course his beloved piano which was a gift from his mom when he was five, standing in the middle of everything. He was also talented in that area but he didn't persuade it since he was obsessed with writing.

He was a very talented, known and young writer(at the age of 21) who was called as the "Charles Dickens of the 21st century". Newspapers wrote about him, talk shows wanted him and he took place on the cover of few popular magazines. But he didn't want any of them. He just wanted to sit and write, and he did. That was when his second book was considered as a major break through in the literature world. But it was not just his talent in writing which turned the spotlights on him. He was known as one of the most famous bachelor of Japan and most of the population was curious how he could stay like that when he had that "look". He was in the list of "hottest 20 people in Japan" but he was not happy with it. He kinda always loved his solitude and he never thought he needed more friends or lousy lovers in that matter. He always hung out with his long term friends, to be more specific, with his high school buddies.

Chad, Ishida, Inoue and Tatsuki was always there along with Keigo (no matter how perverted, he was still a good friend) and Mizurio. He also made new friends with this job. He was pretty close with his publisher Urahara Kisuke and his lovely editor Shihouin Yoruichi who was the famous "former" editor of Japan's biggest magazine, Glory. He was living a pretty decent life with his family and friends around but he was lack of something, even though he didn't know what that something was. He knew that the day would come which he wouldn't be able to create something new. That's what was happening to him now. _Maybe a writer's block,_ he thought sadly. He was sitting in front of his typewriter (he refused to use PC because he was finding typewriters more nostalgic), doing nothing. He was completely clueless what to write about.

Yoruichi was excited about the new and third book of his and Kisuke has just bought him a new Audi TT convertible to "motivate" him. It was 11 p.m and he was preparing a snack for himself when he heard the bell ringing. He walked through the flat and opened the door just to see Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi standing with huge grins on their faces.

"How is my genius writer doing tonight?" Urahara asked with a singsong voice.

"Nothing much, as you can see Urahara-san" he scratched the back of his head. He was a little embarrassed being caught in his home "attire" which was consisting of an undershirt and black silk boxers. He suddenly blushed when he felt Yoruichi-san's gaze on him.

"We really need to find you a girlfriend you know." She pointed out before she got in and slapped his shoulder playfully.

"Nah, you know I like my solitude." He was running to his bedroom to put something on while he was talking to them. Few minutes later, he came downstairs with black cargo pants and a black shirt. Yoruichi and Kisuke were already sitting on his comfy couch talking about something.

"So what brought you here late at night?" he asked, again while scratching his head.

"Well you know my friend Soi Fong, don't you?" Yoruichi asked.

"You mean the chief editor of Glory?"

"Yeah…Her birthday is tomorrow and some of her friends, including me of course, throwing a party for her at Las Noches." She grinned. Something in her grin made Ichigo pretty uncomfortable.

"You mean the nigh club Las Noches? Jeez, Keigo is trying to drag me to that place since forever!" he paused and then continued, "Well, I don't know how this is related with me and you being in my house that late."

"My, my Ichigo you are such a mama's boy! Were you planning to sleep while watching Discovery channel and drool on your couch? Did we mess up your plans for tonight?" Ichigo suddenly blushed to Urahara's mocking words.

"No, of course not! I just couldn't see the thing behind."

"Well the thing is since Soi-Fong is a well known editor her other well known friends will be there. So we want you to meet with new people like Ukitake Jyuushiro…You know him don't you?" Kisuke asked.

"Well of course I know him! But I'm still not sure why you want so much publicity anyway." He sat down on his armchair with defeat, "Ok I will come" he sighed.

"Good, good! Since we had so much of your time tonight we bid you good night!" Kisuke suddenly got up from the couch and started to drag Yoruichi with him to the door.

"Wait, Yorucihi-san!" they stopped abruptly and looked at him.

"Can I bring my friends too and is it formal?" he asked with hesitation.

"Of course you can bring anyone you want and dress causally, but not "that" causally" she reminded while pointing her finger towards Ichigo's cargo pants.

"Yeah…Ok then, see you tomorrow" he said and started to close the door. He heard Urahara shouting something like "at 8 p.m" and locked his door.

Now it was completely impossible for him to write anymore and he absolutely had no sleep. He took a book out of one of the many shelves and touched its spine. Oh how he liked the smell of books! It was an old edition(the second edition in 1841) of Charles Dickens' "The Old Curiosity Shop" and it was one of his most beloved book. He always liked reading the story of Little Nell and his grandfather, it was warm and comforting. He wished the sleep to come over quickly since he had lots of things to do tomorrow and laid down on his couch. He was fast asleep in an hour and he didn't wake up until his door banged loudly next morning.

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It was 3 a.m in the morning and Rukia opened the door of her small flat in the downtown. She really was tired and needed to sleep in order to go to school tomorrow. It was pretty hard to live in that way but she was being stubborn about not accepting any money from his brother Kuchiki Byakuya. She moved out of the mansion when she was 18 and she has been living in this little cozy flat since then. How she loved her freedom! She took off her jacket and was greeted by Chappy, which was a 2-year-old male Golden Retriever that she found on the street when it was still a baby. _Humans can be so cruel sometimes! _She thought again while petting Chappy on the head. She also took off her jeans and threw it on her couch. She opened the fridge, drank some milk from the box, and put it back. She decided to take that long waited bath of hers tomorrow morning and went straight to bed without taking off her shirt. She laid down it with her socks, Chappy the Rabbit panties and her day old shirt.

She played the day in her head again. She went to school only to be dragged out by Kaien to go "somewhere" to take photos. _Really, guys can be so pain in the ass sometimes! _She thought because her attendance was so low that she might repeat this year. She really wanted to become a writer but she also loved photography so at the end she decided to become a Photographer and gave up on her other dream, being a writer. _No that's not true; I'm still writing, aren't I?_ She slowly turned to her left and looked at her laptop. She barely made the dead line of her last article and sent it over. She was writing articles in Ukitake's newspaper about anything and everything, but usually they turned out to be about men. It was the most selling newspaper of Japan and all she wrote was trash ( that's what she thought eve though she had some fans somewhere out there). She really had passion when she was young. She wrote short stories and won some awards when she was at high school, but "somehow" photography became the object of her desires. Actually, it would be truer if she said that a certain "photographer" became the object of her desires. It was stupid really. Why did she give up on her dreams for a guy? He didn't ask that, and she didn't want to admit it even to herself.

Shiba Kaien (her puppy love for him, to be more specific) was the main reason why she was trying to become a photographer and he wasn't even giving her any signals. She thought that love was cruel and she was stuck in this one-sided love for eternity. She really wasn't the type to fall in love, damn she wasn't even sure she was in love but she guessed she was because she did the most unthinkable thing, gave up on her childhood dream. And look where she was today! She was studying photography under Unohana Retsu, whose assistant was the great Shiba Kaien himself. She was working as a bartender in Las Noches and writing stupid stories to a newspaper under the alias Sode no Shirayuki. She was very grateful to Nanao-chan for that opportunity though. She knew Kyouraku Shuunsui who was the former editor and close friend of Ukitake who accepted her with a great joy (though she never understood). But then again she felt like she wasn't accomplishing anything at all.

She really felt frustrated and draw the covers up to her head. She felt Chappy jumping on her king-size bed and lying down beside her. He really was a comfort at night, she thought. She snuggled deep into the covers and waited for sleep to come over.

She suddenly jumped with the ringing of her cell phone. It was Ran-Chan.

"Rukiaaaaaaa!" god was she drunk again?

"Yes Ran-Chan?"

"You know we have a birthday party tomorrow for the chief Editor of Glory, don't you?"

"Yes Ran-Chan, I know." She rubbed her eyes.

"Well I was going to ask if you can skip school tomorrow. Nanao, Momo and I really need your help! Please, please, please!" man that was so annoying, she thought.

"I will try…don't worry. I need to sleep now, if you really want me to come tomorrow." She said.

"Owwwwww. Of course, you need that sleep…oh, and don't let Kaien trick you again! We really need you in the club." She started to giggle; Rukia rubbed her face with her free hand. _Why me? What have I done to displease you! _She screamed in her head while looking up in heavens.

"Ok. Don't worry. Now let me sleep! Please?" she than shut the phone and realized that she didn't have sleep anymore. She opened her drawer and took out her favorite book, "The old Curiosity shop". The story of Little Nell and her grandfather always made her feel warm inside and safe, though she didn't know why. She was fast a sleep in half an hour until Chappy licked her feet next morning.

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**A/N(again):** -rubs her neck, puts the last chocolate chip cookie into her mouth and smiles at her readers with the cookie in her mouth- please review, reviews are like cookies and I feed on them! So if you don't want me to starve r-e-v-i-e-w! I know I have no manners at all -grins evilly-


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** as you all know I don't own Bleach, just the little AU is mine. What can I say? I like daydreaming!

**A/N:** again I apologize for the mistakes. Thank you for your reviews everyone. I really appreciate. Now I know why writers want reviews, they give you the goddamn motivation you need! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Its 4393 words(a record for me). So read, review, and let me know what you think. Your opinions are important!

"There is a place that still remains

It eats the fear it eats the pain

The sweetest price he'll have to pay

The day the whole world went away"

_The Day The Whole World Went Away_

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

He woke up with a start and growled when he fell off the couch with a big thud. He hit his head to his coffee table and growled again. He was going to lose his temper if that idiot wouldn't stop pounding on his door.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

"I'M COMING!" he shouted and muttered "Jeez can't you just wait a few seconds" under his breath with a sigh. He passed his flat and went to the door. He slowly opened the still banging door and dodged a flying kick with in split seconds.

"Ichigoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" his idiotic father ended up hitting his head to his desk and falling to the floor. But that wasn't a stopper for the man so he got up and threw a punch which Ichigo dodged while rubbing the sleep off his eyes.

"Old man you will never gonna learn, will you?" he told and turned his back to his father and walked slowly towards the kitchen. His door opened a little more and he heard another perverted and familiar voice calling him.

"I-chi-goooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" and the said person were lying on the floor because of an elbow which met his ribs seconds ago. "That was cruel Ichigo," he muttered.

Ichigo just turned around to see Mizuiro among with Inoue and Ishida in his kitchen but his sisters and Chad was still standing in front of the door.

"Ohayo Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime cheered.

"Good morning Inoue" he muttered again blushing because he was again dressed in his "home attire" (black silk boxers and a white undershirt).

"Now, now you don't need to get embarrassed Ichigo. It's nothing she hasn't seen before" Ishida added with a smug grin on his face. That gained him a smack on his head from his beloved "Hime-sama"

"Oi, Yuzu, Karin, Chad! Why the hell are you still standing there? Get in!" he shouted towards the door.

"Good morning Onii-chan." Yuzu cheered and jumped on Ichigo.

"May I ask what all of you are doing in my house so early in the morning?" he asked with an indifferent tone while hugging Yuzu back.

"Well my old friend Urahara dropped by yesterday and said that there was a birthday party which we all are invited." His father said matter-of-factly.

"WHAT?!" Ichigo shouted "Which you ALL are invited? Correct me if I'm wrong Chad" he turned towards his friend. But for his misfortune, his father was already taking out the invitations and he tossed one towards Ichigo. Ichigo looked at the invitation in his hand with wide eyes. So the old pervert knew from the beginning and the other old pervert, namely Urahara Kisuke, knew this and set him up. Now he was furious!

"We are going, aren't we Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue asked with hope in her eyes. Now how could he deny that request? He sighed with defeat.

"Yeah…I think we are going." With that said he felt Keigo rubbing his face to his bare legs and muttering thanks, so he kicked him and looked at the others. Everyone seemed excited though he didn't understand why.

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She was bouncing in her sleep while her feet were getting colder and wetter with every passing second. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw Kaien bouncing on her bed up and down and grinning evilly.

"Get up sleepy head! We had lots of things to do today!" he shouted, still bouncing. That was irritating not to mention he was the last person she wanted in her bed.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed Kaien?" she asked coolly.

"Now, now I'm not in your bed. I'm ON your bed. If I would be in it, you wouldn't be getting out of it so early" he continued bouncing and grinning. Rukia felt the heat rising to her cheeks. _Why does he always have to make such intimate jokes?_

"Whatever Kaien just stop bouncing will you? And kindly get out of my room!" she said and saw that Kaien was doing neither, she kicked one of his leg and he fell flat face on her. It was pretty embarrassing. His face was very close to her and she could feel his breath on her cheeks, time was not moving and it was like a torture. She suddenly pushed him off her and he fell to the floor.

"Jeez, Rukia you are vicious you know!" and with that he left the room slowly humming to himself, as if nothing has happened. On the other hand, Rukia was trying to tame the frantic beating of her heart by telling herself that he didn't even consider kissing her. That thought broke her heart a little and thank god, it slowed the heartbeat.

She got up from the bed and dressed slowly. It was already 10 a.m and she promised Ran-Chan to help. She put on her white cargo pants with a dark blue sleeveless shirt and jean jacket on it. She pulled her long black hair into a ponytail, brushed her teeth and put on some lip-gloss.

She got out of her room only to find Kaien rolling on the floor with Chappy. She needed to take Chappy out immediately. Than a brilliant idea came to her mind.

"Hey Kaien why don't you take Chappy out for a walk while I prepare some breakfast for us" she smiled. Kaien nodded and took Chappy by the collar.

"Well I will appreciate if you KINDLY use the key to get in, again. I might be having a shower" she saw him grinning. And than he left. She started to run in the house, grabbed her keys, her cell phone and her bag and ran out of the door. Kaien was going to find an empty house when he turned back. _Serves that bastard right! Just even for exploiting the fact that he has my key._ That thought was going nowhere because it only caused her to get angrier at each passing minute.

She got into her car, which was a birthday present from her brother, a black mustang Shelby 1968. It was a love at first sight for her; she saw the car in a gallery and begged Byakuya to get her one. At first he protested, or course because the car was too fast and old (even though it was modified) but than surprised her with buying it for her birthday. He really was a good brother, of course when he was not acting all tough and cold. Less than an hour, she was in front of Las Noches trying to park her car. She hated the traffic in the morning, in the evening and at night.

"Ohayo everyone!" she cheered the moment she stepped into the club. She liked dropping by in the morning because it was empty unlike its crowded self at night and her friends were having a little fun.

"I can't believe you started without me!" she cried while dropping her bag to the floor and taking her jacket off.

"Well we couldn't very well wait for you to get your lazy ass out of your bed!" Renji roared from the DJ floor which was pretty high above the real floor. He was the DJ of Las Noches and he always had a way with girls. Of Course he was the very definition of the "danger" and well suited for the long-term girl mantra "girls go with dangerous guys, and take good guys to home", or something like that she mused. Then he jumped from his floor and land right in front of Rukia.

"What took you so long baka?" he asked.

"Well a jumping Kaien on my bed early in to morning should be enough for you to pity me." If looks could kill, Renji was dead by now. Everyone except Ichimaru Gin was looking at her with wide eyes.

"It's not what you think, idiots!" She felt like she had to explain.

"Well we are sure, aren't we guys?" Ichimaru-kun turned and asked the others. "Now close your mouth Ran-Chan that's becoming a habit lately." He grinned widely. Rukia thought that her boss was the weirdest man ever alive. He was continuously grinning and always called Matsumoto with that affectionate tone and nickname. Now everyone was calling her Ran-Chan. She always found it cute. She slightly blushed and waited Ichimaru-kun to leave the room. The moment he was out Momo, Nanao and Rangiku was on her.

"What the hell were you talking about?!" Momo asked with excitement in her tone.

"Owwwwww…you did it, didn't you?" Rangiku was grinning like Gin.

"I'm so going to kill that bastard for even lying a finger on you" Renji was ranting and all Nanao-Chan did was to push her glasses upward. She felt like a puppy left in rain. Then Nano talked:

"We told you not to give him your keys. What was he wanting that early in the morning?" now that was the only logical question or a response in that matter. All the others were looking at her as if she just admitted she was from outer space.

"Well I don't know. I told him to take Chappy out and left." She answered with a grin pestered on her face.

"Owwwwww. You are so heartless Rukia-Chan! What did he do to deserve that?" Momo was always the naïve one. She looked at her with affection in her eyes.

"Serves him right" Ran-Chan added. Renji abruptly turned and left them alone. Nanao-Chan just shook her head sadly.

"Now guys that not the issue! Let's just finish the preparations early so that we can go and dress." Rukia said with her eyes shining. For the first time in months, she was going to have a day away from Kaien and she was uncharacteristically happy about it. The others realized that too.

"She might be getting over him, you know" Ran-Chan added matter-of-factly after Rukia left to put her things in the office. They nodded in agreement.

The day passed pretty fast with the arrangements for the part. It was not a formal dress party but it wasn't that informal either. So Rukia decided that she needed a new dress. She liked wearing sensual things. Girls decided to join her for shopping and they left Renji in the club to go out shopping.

After 2 hours of search, she bought herself a small ivory silk dress with thin straps (with small pink ribbons at the end of them). It had a corset look from behind with a light pastel pink ribbon to hold the corset part. It flew sensually down her hips and it was midtight long. She had ivory high-heeled open toed shoes with the very same pink little ribbons on their noses. She liked old-fashioned shoes and she had some sort of obsession with the shoes of 40s and 50s. So most of her high-heeled shoes resembled this one.

They went to Ran-Chan's apartment to get ready after shopping. They all dressed up and put some make-up on. Rukia didn't like make-up that much so she just used a little eyeliner and lip-gloss with a little powder to give her some color. She decided to tie her hair up in a ponytail. It was a long ponytail (since her hair was long) and it left her "delicate" (that's what her friends told her) neck bare. She put her little pink diamond earrings, which was a gift from her deceased sister Hisana. The last touch was her new fragrance she bought from a shop behind the bookstore near her house. Now she was ready. She turned and looked around only to see three magnificent women standing behind her. Matsumoto was in a little black dress. Nanao-Chan was wearing a forest green kimono like dress (but it was very short) and Hinamori was wearing a baby blue dress tied with a white ribbon below the chest. They all looked lovely and they were so ready.

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The day couldn't be worse than that for Kurosaki Ichigo. Early in the morning he was sitting with Inoue and Tatsuki (who joined them later) in his kitchen and couldn't have peace even when he was reading his newspaper. The said girls grabbed the newspaper and took the middle page of it just to read some male enemy, sociopath writer in the name(sounded more like alias) of Sode no Shirayuki. _What kind of a freak uses that name,_ he thought. But the girls in front of him were already drooling on his newspaper. He snatched the newspaper from them and looked at today's theme.

_Now I want you to think of the guys in your life and name me one, only one, who has given up on his dream because of you, or a girl. Can you think of one? No, you can't. That's what I'm talking…_

He stooped reading after the second sentence because it was annoying. He cleared his throat and gave the newspaper back to Tatsuki.

"Jeez what kind of a loser will write stuff like that?" he asked just as loud as girls can hear.

"Well she is not a loser! She knows pretty much about guys and relationships. She is right if you ask me. Tell me Ichigo did you ever give up on your dreams for a girl?" she answered hotly.

"Well why would I do that? I'm not an idiot. If I have the opportunity, then I will make my dream come true. This Sode something person is in need of a new life. If you ask me that's pathetic" he took a sip from his coffee.

"That's what people call love idiot! But since you are not created to harbor some sort of affection towards any sort of living thing than its pretty normal for you to name it as pathetic!" Inoue shouted. Now that was something unexpected. Ichigo cringed inwardly at the thought of being in love or making stupid things in the name of it, not to mention Inoue "shouting".

"Jeez, why are you so worked up about it? It's just a stupid piece of writing. Don't believe what people say, anyway." He scratched the back of his head nervously and then realized that Tatsuki was throwing daggers at him and Inoue was running towards his guest bathroom.

"You are an idiot, you know." She added calmly and they both left his house after 15 minutes in order to buy some dress for the "party".

Now his whole day was ruined. He made his childhood friend cry, he was going to be lectured by that annoying know-it-all Ishida Uryuu and ignored by his sisters and Tatsuki. _Nice Ichigo, you did it again._ He sighed and went to upstairs to take a hot bath.

His phone rang suddenly while he was getting out of his hot tub and he ran down with a towel wrapped around his waist. It was Urahara.

"Oi Kurosaki-kun! Yoruichi-san is coming to get you in five minutes." Just as he finished the sentence, his bell rang. He passed his flat and opened it only to face with a smirking Yoruichi with a paper bag in her hand. He blushed again. _God damn it! That's the second time in 24 hours! _He held his towel safely around his waist and let Yoruichi in. When he grabbed the phone again Urahara was laughing at the other side.

"Whats so funny you old pervert!" he shouted and before he can say anything the phone was shut to his face and his door was banging. He opened it only to see the old perverted Urahara grinning like a cat.

"Jeez, you two really like torturing me, don't you?" he shaked his head and went upstairs. He put on black trousers a white shirt and went downstairs.

"You are not planning to wear this, are you?" she asked while fixing him with her gaze.

"Yeah…why? It's not bad and you said it shouldn't be "that" casual." He saw her taking a black shirt out of the paper bag and a white-black stripped silk tie.

"Ok…put them on!" she said while tapping her foot to the floor. Ichigo was slightly annoyed. He slowly put the shirt on and then tied the tie.

"Do you want me tuck it in my pants, mom?" he asked with a mocking voice.

"No…keep it like that. It looks more badass."

"Bad ass?! It looks emo! Jeez women what do you want? Ruin my reputation?"

"You know it's not that hard to ruin it if you continue send the girls outside while crying their hearts out" she sad matter-of-factly.

Ichigo sighed and then turned to retrieve his car keys but Urahara stopped him.

"Well the limo is waiting outside. You didn't think I was going to let you drive now, did you?" he asked with a grin. Ichigo really didn't like these moments. It was as if he was planning something, something that Ichigo had no idea. He sighed defeatedly and went out of his flat with Yoruichi and Urahara-san.

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Girls were ready for the action. They felt energetic, even though they slept four hours in the last 36 hours. They were not going to be barmaids tonight; Ichimaru-kun already hired some other girls for that. They were not regular barmaids actually. Nanao-Chan was studying psychology, while Momo-Chan was studying Literary Arts. Rukia on the other hand was the most free-spirited after Matsumoto; she was studying photography while Ran-Chan was studying Ichimaru Gin. They were doing it for the fun and some extra money. Not that any of them needed it anyway. Rukia was already making money from writing articles and taking some photos for some random magazines and well the others were helped by their families. They loved the idea of working and they loved the club. They met new people every night and they were close friends (including Renji). She loved this and it was the only reason her brother accepted her to have this job. Other than that, he hated the fact that a Kuchiki was working in a nightclub.

She looked over her shoulder while standing below Renji's DJ floor and saw the guests coming. The club was hired for the whole night, only for that event. She was excited to be honest. Yoruichi-san was coming, who was a friend of Unohana-sensei among with many others like Urahara Kisuke or Ukitake-sama. She really liked these people.

She wondered where his brother and Unohana-san was for few seconds. They were together for the last 5 years and Unohana-san was also her sensei. She learned everything from her and she always liked the kindhearted, talented women. She never felt like her brother was replacing Hisana, on the contrary she liked the fact that Byakuya was still trying and moving on. She was glad that these years of misery were left behind.

"Oi Rukia! What the hell are you thinking?" Renji shouted down looking from his Floor.

"Nothing. I wonder when Nii-sama will come….I kinda missed him, you know" she smiled sadly, turned and left. Renji shaked his head and turned back to his business.

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Limo stopped and Urahara was out first, grabbing Yoruichi-san's hand to help her out. She was wearing a lovely red dress. And to be honest she was a very hot woman, at least that's what everybody thought. Ichigo on the other hand was not looking at her in that way. Ok he was looking ONCE but now he just saw her as a colleague and a dear friend.

He saw his friends waiting for them at the door with their invitations in their hands. He slowly approached them. And just like he thought Inoue, Tatsuki, Yuzu and Karin were ignoring him. _Well done boy, well done!_ He congratulated himself.

"I-chi –gooo!" Keigo was hugging him again in a quite uncomfortable way and Mizuiro was shaking his head with disapproval.

"Oi, Keigo that's enough!" while trying to push him off.

"Ichigo can you imagine the girls inside? Can you smell them?" his eyes were everywhere.

"Jeez man we aren't in yet and you started to act like a first class pervert." Mentioning of perverts, he caught a glimpse of his father who was uncharacteristically calm and (dare he say) normal. He wondered why.

"Ok let's get in ladies and gentleman!" Urahara guided them with a singsong voice.

Once they were inside Ichigo took a deep breath and felt a hand grabbing him by the collar and dragging him among others to reach where Ukitake Jyuushiro was standing with his long-term buddy, former editor of his newspaper, famous Kyouraku Shuunsui.

"The sooner you meet them the sooner you will get free." He heard Yoruichi whispering his ear.

"Yeah…" was all he managed to say.

They were standing in the middle of the room with Urahara chatting freely, and then while Ichigo was being dragged he caught a glimpse of black hair which was followed by an ivory dress and long slender legs. He felt a knot tying in his throat and then teared his eyes from the girl.

"Oh, so this is the famous Kurosaki Ichigo!" Ichigo greeted cheerfully by Ukiatke and handshaked with Kyouraku.

"Yes this is our Ichigo!" said Yoruichi proudly. Ichigo really felt uncomfortable. He didn't like that kind of meetings or any sort of meetings at all. He tried to listen to them but his mind was busy trying to find a face fitting with that hair and legs. Nervously he started to scan the big hall. He looked and looked. It was useless. If only he could take a walk!

He looked at Yoruichi who smiled warmly at him. He smiled back at her (not a real smile but it was a little one). Then just as he was turning his head, he caught that sight of the dress among with the hair and glued his eyes to the owner of them. He was facing her back and oh what a lovely back it was. His eyes started to travel from the bottom (from those cute shoes, _god he was calling a pair of shoes cute!_) to the top. He tried not to linger on the legs that much and than it came to the neck. He felt his right hand itching even when she was meters away. Oh how he wished her to turn back. He saw a girl from their group coming towards him and he suddenly turned his gaze and blushed slightly. Then he heard Kyouraku calling someone.

"Nanao-channnnnnn! My lovely Nanao-Chan. Look how beautiful she is" he was holding her hand and the girl was looking at him with the expression of a deer under flashlights.

"Kyouraku-sama please unhand me this instant!" she managed to blurt out while blushing furiously.

"My Nanao-Chan does not want me anymore" he cried and wrapped his arms around the girl's waist. Ichigo sighed with relief that the girl wasn't there for him. But he couldn't check his new object of desire while her friend was here. Then he heard Yoruichi saying something to the girl, Nanao-Chan she was.

"Nanao-Chan my darling, why don't you call Rukia over here? I missed her a lot." She said playfully and then turned to Urahara who seemed overjoyed with the new idea.

"Ow my lovely Kuchiki-san is here! I can see her over there" he pointed his finger towards the crowd. Nanao-Chan smiled innocently and bowed before to go and retrieve her. Ichigo watched anxiously from the corner of his eye and held his breath.

The next moment his whole world came crushing down on him. Said girl was coming towards them with a soft smile on her face. He was afraid to turn his head but eventually he did and he lost the last control of his inner world which was desperately trying to come crushing down. His mind was not working, his lungs stopped taking oxygen and he was lost.

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"Oi Rukia! Don't look but "the" Kurosaki Ichigo is checking you out!" Matsumoto cheered. Rukia was taken aback.

"WHAT?!" she tried to turn her head but immediately stopped by Ran-Chan.

"Oh, he really is 'checking you out', from top to bottom I can safely say. Or is it bottom to top?" Rukia felt confused. She knew who Kurosaki Ichigo was but she didn't care. Really, what was the big deal. So he is a great writer, ok. And he is also in the list of 20 hottest people in Japan. So what? She didn't care that much. She never cared fame and beauty. All she cared was… just before she can finish her thought she heard Rangiku telling something to Nanao.

"Go next to your old pervert and learn whats going on." Ran-Chan whispered to Nanao.

"Wait! What? Nanao!!" was all she could say before Nanao-Chan disappeared.

How unfortunate for her that she reappeared, though she didn't understand how she got rid of that perverted Shuunsui.

"Well Rukia-Chan Yoruichi-san wants to see you!" she said more cheerful than usual. Rukia wondered if the situation was that pathetic. She rarely had a love life which was revolving around a bastard named Shiba Kaien, sorry Shiba Kaien the great! And now her friends was trying to set her up with a snob, young writer just because he was in the hot 20 list! She really felt pathetic for few second and she was back to her own self by the time she turned around and started to walk towards the said group of people.

She suddenly realized the penetrating gaze of the said writer on her and she shivered. He was cute. _Not cuter than Kaien,_ she thought. But he was average. _Ok a little bit above the average,_ she corrected herself. Then she was near them and being greeted cheerfully by others, including Urahara Kisuke. She greeted them nicely and curtseyed.

Ichigo on the other side was trying so hard not to look at her. He saw her eyes and soft smile while she was coming towards them and he stopped breathing. Now the girl in question was centimeters away from him and he could actually smell her. _God I'm so going to lose my mind if I stay a little longer!_ He thought. Just when he decided to leave he heard Yoruichi talking to him.

"Oi, Ichigo! Are you daydreaming?" Yoruichi was nudging him.

"I'm sorry what did you say?" he managed to say. He was choking on his words, trying too hard to maintain his "image".

"I was introducing Rukia to you!" she shouted. He knew there was no escape from that hell. He slowly turned towards the said girl and the moment he looked at her, he was lost.

She smiled. Oh how sweet her smile was and then opened that lovely lips to tell her name.

"Kuchiki Rukia." she said and then curtseyed.

Kurosaki Ichigo was speechless for the first time in his life.

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**A/N(again):** tell me, tell me! Did you like it?! who are we meeting next chapter? Can I see the guesses? Well the title of the chapter is taken from one of the songs of my favorite band Nine Inch Nails, incase you want to know. I love you all, thanks for the reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately Bleach is not mine, as you all know.

**A/N:** well sorry it took some time, my school is starting on Monday so I had to complete my registrations. I also watched episode 115 today and I'm a happy girl(for now). I was planning to use some of the Vaizards(like Shinji, Hiyori or Risa) but I guess I will leave this to other chapters. Also the rating might change with the following chapters, just let me know your thoughts about this and don't forget to review. So here is chapter 3 with all its glory. It's party time(well in the sense of middle-aged people). I hope you enjoy and sorry for the grammar mistakes and all!

_Just A Mere Mortal Who is Killing Time_

_Come on Ichigo say something! Tell your name, damn it! _Some part of his mind was screaming. He was just looking into that violet orbs and he lost the track of time. When he was about to kick himself, she blinked and he lost the eye contact. His fogged brain managed to put his name front so he muttered:

"K-Kurosaki Ichigo." He blinked once and then twice.

"So I've heard." She said with a soft smile on her lips. Then she did something "unthinkable" and touched his arm with her small fingers with a silent gesture. She hoped that this would put him at ease.

"Kurosaki-kun relax, I'm not going to bite you." At the same time, he was begging whatever gods above: _Please don't take your hand away, PLEASE!_ His mind screamed. But before it began, it finished and she dropped her hand. Ichigo managed to smile a little and turned away from Rukia.

Rukia on the other hand was dumb folded. _What the hell is wrong with that bastard?!_ Guys were really stupid and arrogant_. Yes arrogant!_ And he was not different. She could be so naïve sometimes. Of course, he was arrogant; he had all the reasons to be arrogant and egoistic. He was the Charles bloody Dickens of 21st century and he was one of the hottest in whole Japan! She frowned upon that thought. Guys were really not changing and she felt unlucky for stumbling upon the same types.

Said person was heavily sweating on her left side while thinking completely different things. She was the most beautiful girl he has ever seen and he has seen much. Though none of them had any effect on him like she had, and she was really getting under his skin. What the hell was that sudden rush of sweat and hormones? Was he going insane? He slowly looked at her from the corner of his eye and saw her thinking and frowning. Oh how cute she was even when frowning. Suddenly he thought what would she look like in her daily life? Who were her friends? What did she eat? How was her house? He was a writer and he was pretty much obsessed with observing others' life styles and of course he loved observing his own surroundings and since she was a part of his present "surrounding" then he could safely "observe" her, couldn't he? Nah, this thought was going nowhere. _Like usual,_ he frowned. He needed some fresh air, he really needed now. He looked around uncomfortably only to see 'Nanao-Chan' smirking at him. Then a woman with blonde hair and huge cleavage came towards them.

"Rukia would you please check Renji. He was asking you." She said with a mischievous smile on her face. Ichigo felt his blood boiling. Was that bastard a friend of hers?

"Renji? Abarai Renji you mean?" Ichigo asked and felt all the eyes turning towards him.

"Do you know him?" Rukia asked with hope in her voice. If Renji knew him then she could have get more information about this Kurosaki boy. Not that she wanted, mind you! She was just curious.

"Nah" he scratched the back of his head, "I used to know him, I guess" then a ghost smile appeared on his lips and lost in few seconds.

"Ok. I will be back." after two steps, she stopped and turned to Yoruichi, "Will you tell Nii-sama to wait for me here? I'm afraid I won't be able to find him in this over-crowded place." Yoruichi smiled and nodded. Then Rukia turned and walked away.

"Well, well! Look who is here. We weren't expecting to see you here, Kurosaki Ichigo." The woman with big boobs talked, "I'm Matsumoto Rangiku." She grabbed his hand and gave him a firm handshake. Then he saw the other girl with black hair and black eyes (who was with Rukia few minutes ago) coming towards them. _Nice Ichigo, now you are trapped! _His mind screamed. There was no way out. Women were vicious and merciless creatures in nature and if the smile on their face was any indication he was about meet with his own personal nightmares or even maybe his premature death.

"Hi and I'm Hinamori Momo, Nice to meet you." She smiled. She looked like a kind, cute girl. He heard Ukitake-sama's voice telling something.

"Well Hinamori-san is the student of Aizen Sousuke…you know him don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah…you mean the Critique, don't you?" he hated the bastard with his guts because he was trying too hard to find his fault just to watch him fall. He was a real psychopath in Ichigo's opinion. Just as he was thinking those, he saw a man with silver hair who resembled a fox coming towards them with his hands clasped at his back.

"My, my. The guest of the night." His smile widened and he circled his arm around that Matsumoto's waist.

"What do you think Ran-Chan? Is he as hot as they claim him to be?" Rangiku swore under her breath and blushed prettily. But she smiled and turned to Gin.

"Why, of course Ichimaru-kun, he is. All these girls wouldn't be checking him out if he wasn't!" she said with confidence in her voice. As if it was possible, Ichimaru's grin became wider.

Then all of them turned and saw a cold looking man coming towards them with a kind, elegant looking women on his arm. He was wearing _very_ formal clothes with weird looking metal things on his hair. Ichigo saw Ukitake, Kyouraku and Urahara bowing, Yoruichi and other girls curtseying towards the couple.

"What a nice evening!" kind looking women exclaimed.

"Oh, Unohana-san, Kuchiki-sama! Welcome. How are you?" Urahara greeted them with his irritating singsong voice. _Kuchiki! So that's who _Nii-sama_ is huh? _Ichigo thought. The man had the most emotionless face he has ever seen. Soon _Kuchiki-sama_ bowed towards everyone.

"We are fine. Thanks Urahara-san. Have you seen my sister?" he asked.

"Yes. She wanted us to tell you to wait her here. She is with Renji up there." Yoruichi smiled and pointed to the DJ floor. While everyone was looking towards that floor, Ichigo saw his father coming towards them. _Oh no! Not now, please not now!_ He begged whatever the gods above. Though his father was uncharacteristically cool tonight. He had to admit that he liked this side of him.

When he reached the group, Kurosaki Isshin bowed and greeted others. No, this man was NOT his father. He not only looked cool but also (dare he said) sophisticated and gentleman.

"Kurosaki Isshin!" cheered Kyouraku Shuunsui, "long time no see buddy! How are you doing? You should be really proud of your son, you raised him well." He congratulated and then added "though he didn't take after you when it comes to women!" he put his hand on Isshin's shoulder.

"Nah. You know how writers are. They think that their only world is the one that they created. And how unfortunate for my son that he still does not know there is a _real _world out there with real feelings, real voices, real smells and other things like that." He smiled sadly. Ichigo was dumbfounded. This couldn't be his father! His father was a first class idiot!

"My, my Isshin we all know that Kurosakis have the best luck when it comes to women. Your generation always ends up with the most beautiful woman in town." Urahara said chuckling and hided his big grin behind his famous fan.

"What can I say we got the look!" Isshin smiled while everyone was laughing or at least smiling. Except for one of course, Kuchiki Byakuya. He turned towards the DJ floor to look at Rukia when he saw her coming with a furious looking Renji on her heels. Renji threw a dirty look towards Ichigo and completely ignored him. He greeted everyone and took his place next to Rukia. Rukia ran towards them and hugged her _nii-sama_ joyfully, he only petted her head but didn't hug her back.

"Hello Nii-sama!" she was beaming, she turned and hugged Unohana-san "Hello Unohana-sensei." _Sensei?_ Wow, this girl had the connections. Rukia turned back to her place, which was next to Renji.

Ichigo felt sad, though he didn't know why. But Rukia standing so far away from him made him frown more. He wanted to be close to her. Damn he already hated that feeling! What the hell was wrong with him?! He only knew her for few hours Then he saw something, which made his blood boil. A guy with a stupid grin and black hair was hugging Rukia. A stupid grin appeared on all of the females' faces, even on Yoruichi's!

"Hi Shuuhei!" girls greeted him. He smiled cockily. _Shuuhei? Hisagi Shuuhei? _He never thought he would see him again!

"Hi girls!" he greeted back. Then he bowed and greeted Kuchiki-sama before anyone. _what an ass kisser!_ Then turned and greeted Ukitake and Kyouraku and smiled and waved towards Urahara and Yoruichi who waved back at him. He didn't even look at Ichigo, and that pissed him more.

"Have you seen who is here, Hisagi?" Renji asked with his own cocky smile plastered on his face.

"Yeah…and I chose to ignore him." He replied coolly while wrapping his goddamn arm around Rukia's waist. He turned towards Ichigo's father.

"How are you Dr. Kurosaki? I read about your article last month and I have to admit you have outdone yourself." _Article? What article was he talking about?! _His father was not writing articles, was he?

"Why, thank you Hisagi-kun! How is your research going?"

"Well as expected. Hitsugaya-kun and I are really trying hard to find the right software to overcome that problem." _Hitsugaya-kun? Wait a second! That underage looking bastard was still around? Boy-genius my ass!_ He thought.

At that moment, Ichigo felt that he was out of all conversations. Everyone was talking to each other and he had no idea what they were talking about. This was a very unsettling feeling. Yoruichi, Unohana-san and Ice King was chatting calmly, Ukitake, his father and Kyouraku was laughing at something, bastard Hisagi among with moron Abarai was chatting heatedly with the girls. Suddenly Rukia's phone rang and everybody's attention turned towards her. His jaw dropped at what he saw. She slowly drew her skirt up a little and took her phone from where it was attached! It was hanging from a lacy elastic band that was wrapped around her upper leg, under the skirt of her dress. She took her phone out, blushing prettily. Ichigo couldn't take his eyes away from the sight of that creamy upper tight. He blushed too, deeply this time. He felt Kuchiki's eyes on him and saw him cocking an eyebrow towards him, challenging him to look more. He averted his gaze and looked at the floor. He felt like a hormonal teenager who caught on business. Damn it! What was wrong with him, anyway?

"Now that's very cruel of you Rukia!" said Shuuhei playfully.

"What can I do? This damn dress doesn't have any pockets and I need my phone you…" she couldn't swear because her brother was there so she shut her mouth and frowned before answering.

"Moshi, moshi!...Hold on a second I can't hear you! Let me get out" she said and walked away from them.

"Don't tell me that it was the 'K' person" Renji said with a serious face.

"The one and only." Hisagi answered with the same serious tone.

"Maybe we can find a way to keep him away even just for tonight." Matsumoto offered.

"Yeah how about killing him and dumping his body near a river." Renji offered.

"Go get the shovels. I will help you burry _It. _" Hisagi added. _What the hell?! These guys sound so serious and who the hell is that 'K' person anyway?_ Ichigo thought.

"Maybe we can ask Unohana-sensei a favor." Ise Nanao joined the conversation. Everyone looked at her with admiration in their eyes.

"Seriously, you are a genius Nanao-chaaaaaaan!" Kyouraku beamed near her, holding her hand.

"Unohana-san can you give something to keep Kaien away even if it's only for tonight?" Hisagi put his hands in his pocket and asked uncomfortably.

"Why, of course I can but I don't think Kaien will want to hang out with you, he has his own friends you know." She smiled. She knew Rukia had some sort of crush on her assistant and she guessed that Kaien was not _that_ indifferent towards her (even if he acted like that).

"It's not us." Renji said, looking at something on the floor.

"He is on Rukia's neck for the last five weeks." Hisagi continued matter-of-factly.

"Well of course he is. Rukia is the best one in my class. She has a natural talent and if I didn't have Kaien already, I would have Rukia as my assistant." She answered kindly. This woman was really the mere example of softness and elegance, Ichigo thought for a second. Then he talked without thinking.

"Forgive my ignorance but what is that talent of her you are talking so affectionately? It looks like I'm the only one who doesn't know." Ichigo asked blushing.

"Skinning off rabbits, Kurosaki. What did you think?" Shuuhei said smirking. Ichigo blinked once, twice and frowned at Hisagi.

"As stupid…sorry I mean as perceptive as always Kurosaki." Renji added looking in front of him, ignoring Ichigo completely.

"Why, Renji, my son gained a whole new level of understanding and awareness after becoming a writer." Isshin smirked. _The nerve!_ These bastards were making fun of him!

"Of course Kurosaki-sama. Whatever you say. I'm sure he will find a place in his _generous_ heart to forgive mere mortals like us for our insolence." Hisagi smiled. Ichigo was furious now. His blood was boiling and he was seriously planning to hurt "someone".

"Whats your problem Hisagi, huh?" he managed to ask coolly. Just before Hisagi can answer, they heard a deep chuckle and Ichigo was facing with his future nightmare. Shiba Kaien. He felt like he was looking at himself into the mirror! Just the difference was his hair _and maybe the character,_ he thought.

"Hi everyone!" he greeted people casually, like he was seeing them everyday. His arm was circling Rukia's shoulders and she was blushing again, _very prettily! _He added to his thought.

Tonight was a nightmare for Kurosaki Ichigo, he decided. He saw this super beautiful, elegant, cute, smart girl and couldn't manage to say anything. Then he saw _the enemy_ though he didn't understand why they were still holding a grudge against him. Now here this guy was standing with the said girl, holding her and smirking like it was the most natural thing! He looked around him and saw the faces of others. They were acting casual, so it must be something normal. _Is he the boyfriend? Or does she have a crush on him? He looks older than her though, _Ichigo wondered.

"Kindly unhand my sister Shiba." They heard Byakuya's deep cold voice. Everyone froze. It must be a huge thing for Byakuya to say something like that. He saw Unohana-san holding Byakuya's hand gently and caressing it, like trying to calm him. He looked _really_ calm, Ichigo thought.

"Of course Byakuya-sama!" he smiled and dropped his arm. Ichigo saw Unohana turning towards her assistant.

"Well Shiba-kun do you remember the report I told you to write for Friday?"

"Yeah Unohana-sensei!"

"Well can you finish its outline till tomorrow morning?" Unohana smiled.

"WHA-!...Well does it have to be tomorrow? I mean…I…ugh…Of course, I will." He finished while scratching the back of his head. Ichigo saw disappointment in Rukia's eyes and his heart squeezed painfully in his chest. Why did her friends do that? But that traitorous organ was not breaking over the thought of her cruel friends but it was breaking over the fact that she cared about this Kaien guy very much.

"Well that means you can't stay for tonight's festivities." Rukia said.

"Oh don't worry! If Hisagi is here then it means you are going to have fun!...You won't even realize my absence" he said cheerfully, "that means I have to leave its already 10 p.m, if I want to finish the outline I have to stay awake for the rest of the night."

"I can come and help so we can finish earlier." Rukia offered. Everyone was holding their breaths Ichigo realized, even his father. EVEN him, Kurosaki Ichigo!

"I'm afraid that's impossible I have an issue to discuss with you Rukia-Chan." Ukitake interrupted. Now Kaien looked frustrated. _Serves the bastard right!_ Ichigo thought.

"Well ok then!" she tried to smile, but it was pretty obvious that she was upset. They saw Soi-Fong coming towards them with a white haired guy on her arm. _Holly shit! Hitsugaya Toushiro, I'm so dead!_

"Good evening everybody!" she cheered, "What a lovely party you threw for me, Yoruichi-sama!" even though they were close friends that women couldn't bring herself to call Yoruichi with her given name _only._ He heard a squeak and turned just to see a Hinamori Momo blushing furiously.

"My, my why aren't we leaving these young people alone so that they can get used to each other!...By the way that's my second degree cousin Hitsugaya Toushiro. I'm sure some of you know him pretty well. Even though he doesn't like nightclubs and such, he became one of your regulars Ichimaru! What do you say about that?" she grinned evilly. Said boy was ignoring Ichigo. _That's pretty normal,_ he thought.

"Well let me be proud of my lovely assistants!" he looked towards Hinamori who was now as red as a tomato.

"Ow you have the most sophisticated ones I have ever seen!...By the way the music choice is amazing, I have to say I'm a huge fan of oldies." She was really happy, wasn't she?

"I sent my top secret agents to collect information." Renji said with pride, "Renji's angels!" he added waving his hand towards the four girl.

"Well technically Charlie's angels consist of three girls, we are four. So…" before Nanao could finish she felt Renji's breath on her neck.

"Know-it-all!" he said with a low menacing voice. Everyone chuckled, even Byakuya smiled. Ok smirked, Ichigo corrected himself.

With all that said and done, middle-aged people left them alone. Ichigo felt lonely and searched for his friends in the crowd and spotted them. Inoue was waving at him. _That's good, she is not angry with me anymore!_ He waved and called them over.

The last 3 hours passed very quickly. Kaien left them. His friends met Rukia's friends and fraternized immediately. Keigo was drooling all over Matsumoto-san and Rukia (he tried to ignore that). Renji outdone himself and asked everyone to dance. He played "Hit the Road Jack" in which Rukia danced with the pervert extraordinaire Urahara Kisuke, then he switched to "I love Paris" from Kay Starr in which Rukia danced with her brother, the Ice King. Soi-Fong, Yoruichi and Rukia sang "Dream a Little Dream of Me" from Mamas&Papas with Hisagi playing piano behind them

After some time when everyone had their own share of alcohol Renji heated the dance floor with Latin songs like "Livin' La Vida Loca" and then "Infatuation" by Christina Aguilera. Everyone was happy, he observed. But not him. Never him.

He looked around and saw Hitsugaya dancing with Hinamori, Kyouraku-san dragging Nanao-Chan around the dance floor, Urahara bending Yoruichi and kissing her on the lips, Ichimaru with Rangiku-san and of course Rukia with Hisagi. He watched Hisagi all night. Ichigo came to conclusion that Hisagi was not her boyfriend but he was obsessively protective. He watched her over like a hawk and never let a male get near to her more than 6 feet.

He sighed, maybe his idiotic father, _no not idiotic anymore!_ was right. He really was living in his own world. Maybe he needed to get out. He needed to smell real things like Rukia, or he needed to feel real things, like Rukia's presence, or maybe he needed to hear real voices like Rukia calling his name. He also realized that he was thinking about this girl too much. He didn't even know her but somehow he didn't want to leave this place. Because leaving meant he had to leave her too. He really didn't feel ready to do that. Just he was whishing the party to last longer, Soi-Fong took the microphone in her hands.

"I want to thank you all so much! That was the best birthday ever!" she shouted. Everyone was whistling and clapping their hands. It was really weird to see middle-aged people (not to mention great authorities of their branches) acting all childish. Well except Kuchiki Byakuya of course.

"I'm really grateful to have such friends like Yoruichi-sama and Urahara. Ukitake-kun and Kyouraku-kun. I have been trained and raised by the very best and I owe them for this. I hope I have been a good example and a student and I hope they are proud of me. Thank you so much for coming." Her eyes were shining with happiness and unshed tears. Ichigo wondered if he could cry out of happiness, one day.

Then he saw Ishida coming towards him.

"Well Kurosaki looks like you are one of us from now on." He smirked knowingly.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you are talking about."

"You watched Kuchiki-san _all _night." He pushed his glasses. Ichigo wanted to punch him right in the face. He had a loving, caring, beautiful girlfriend and he was coming and telling him that he was one of them. What the hell?

"That's none of your business, Ishida. I will watch who ever I want." He replied coolly.

"Well if it would be someone different then I could say you are right. But you are not. I hope you understand what kind of a line you are walking on Kurosaki. We wouldn't want our almighty writer, holier-than-thou Kurosaki Ichigo to do 'stupid' things for the sake of some unreal feeling. Or becoming a mere mortal" He smirked again. He remembered telling Ishida that love was a 'stupid, surrealistic feeling for mortal fools to kill time' when he came and "confessed" his love for Inoue during one of their boys night-_in_(because the event was taking place in Ichigo's flat)

"I'm just a mere mortal, Ishida. Maybe I might decide kill some time, who knows" Ichigo shrugged and went to get his jacket.

When he turned back he saw his friends saying goodbye to everyone. The others were staying over to have another party with Hisagi. Surely he was an insane boy but he always knew how to have fun. He went there to bid his goodbyes.

"Hey everyone!" he tried to smile.

"Well Kurosaki we are having a party after everyone leaves." Matsumoto said.

"So I've heard." The line was awfully familiar. He felt tension building in him.

"Your friends accepted our offer. What do _you _say?" Nanao-Chan asked.

"Wow well…I…well." he mumbled. He knew he wasn't making any sense but he really didn't know how to answer. There was Hisagi-Hitsugaya-Abarai on one hand and there was Rukia on the other (and of course his friends).

"With only one condition." Hitsugaya came forward, "you are going to apologize." He crossed his arms on his chest.

_Apologize! APOLOGIZE?! Was he insane?_ There was no way in hell he was going to apologize for something that wasn't his fault. Not to mention he ever apologized from anyone for anything. He held his jacket tightly in his hands and gritted his teeth. This was really stupid. He didn't deserve that and nothing was worth to watch his pride being crushed under the heels of these bastards.

"Then I bid all of you good night. It was a very nice party and I'm glad I met some of you." He turned and started to walk towards the door. He heard Rukia asking something like "apologize for what?" and he grabbed the doorknob and turned it.

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**A/N:** next chapter: after party and a sleep over! Ouch!...tell me what do you think about my characterization. Is it OOC or do you like what I do with those characters. I'm open to any sort of idea or criticism. HIT ME!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Bleach is not mine!

_**A/N:**_thank you for all your reviews. Here is your long(!) waited, very long(and probably boring) chapter. Its 5436 words! My fingers are aching right now. Well Sarugaki Hiyori and Yadoumaru Risa are female Vaizards, so the names are real and the personalities of course.I hope you will enjoy and sorry for any grammar/language mistakes. Review and let me know what you think.

**Hyou-kun:** I love dancing! And I love parties like that, though I don't believe I did a good job while writing those scenes but I'm glad you felt like that.

**animelover150**: on the Hisagi issue, I can assure you that this obsession of protectiveness or possessiveness is not _that_ friendly. Well this chapter will reveal some of it (hopefully) and the rest will be revealed in the following chapters. But rest assured my dear reader!

**sanriochica333: **thank you, I'm glad you liked it! I know about grammar mistakes I'm really sorry but my native language is not English so forgive me. Well about Kaien issue, I cannot promise you anything about that. I don't think we will see him with Rukia but even if he doesn't have that much scene, he has some very important role in the story. This is an AU story so I'm not sure I will add Miyako. The reason I chose Kaien is basically that he is who he is. In manga/anime, he had some sort of affection towards Rukia but we don't know if it's strictly a brotherly love. And Rukia had a crush on him. Well let's wait what will happen in the story. But I don't think I will pair Kaien with Miyako or Rukia. The speech in ep. 115 is slightly different from the one in the manga, I guess they volumed it down, who knows. The one in the manga was more meaningful, more IchixRuki. And Nell was a total coincidence, I don't know if you read Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop but the head character's name is really Nell and she is a little girl living with her grandfather. I thought it would be cute to add that detail so I added. It's a great book, I strongly recommend. Charles Dickens is one of my favorite (among with Frost, Poe and Dahl)

**andraq:** my faithful reader who loves Ichigo in the way I love! Well who told you Ichigo was going somewhere; they have a long night ahead of them! He is kinda in love with her but these are foreign feelings for him. He might confuse lust with love sometimes but eventually someone will kick this in his thick skull. How I wish the same thing to happen in the manga/anime. If you are calling Kaien bastard now I don't know what will you call him in the following chapters. Mwhahahahaha!

_Princess, Bitch and Rukia_

His hand was on the doorknob; he turned it and heard the familiar clicking voice. Suddenly he felt that uneasiness coming crushing down on him again. His mind screamed, begged to go while his body was refusing to move any further. His heart ached painfully. Why the hell was he going to apologize? He didn't do anything wrong. Then he heard Rukia's voice. It was _real,_ like Rukia herself. For the first time in his life, since his mother's death, he felt that something/someone out there was alive. She made him realize that he was ignoring some things that shouldn't be ignored. Yes, that was unsettling but also a very heady feeling at the same time. So heady that it almost made him feel dizzy and he felt his knees weakening. He sighed, took a deep breath and talked, his hand still on the doorknob.

"I'm not going to apologize for anything because I had my own reasons to leave you guys. But I'm really sorry that I didn't keep in touch with any of you." And he was sincere. He felt the heaviness leaving his heart.

"For your question Rukia," he leaned his forehead against the door "I was the piano player of their little jazz band…but I left them the night before the competition which was a major turning point in our lives. As I said before I have my personal reasons and I don't feel any regret for what I have done." He slowly turned towards the group.

"So I guess it was not because you wanted to have more time to write as you said before." Hitsugaya said still his arms crossed over his chest.

"No, but that seemed the best excuse at that time. It was 2 years ago and I was younger, we were all younger and had some sort of twisted dreams about our futures."

"But you are the only one who couldn't reach his dream." Hisagi said coolly.

"Maybe I have been looking for the wrong thing from the very beginning. Maybe I really don't know how to dream…My only regret is that it cost me 3 good friends, though I understand the value of it now. There is no way I can ask for forgiveness and I'm not planning either but let me tell you this; I couldn't bring my self to look at your face knowing that I was the one who crushed your dreams." Ichigo was very serious during the whole talk. His friends knew he was not the funniest, happiest person but they realized that they have never seen him this sad and serious.

"Apology accepted." Renji said his face few centimeters away from Ichigo, his hands on his hips.

"I told you I am NOT apologizing from you bastard!" Ichigo shouted.

"Yeah…whatever idiot!" Renji kicked him. Hisagi sighed and mumbled, "They are not going to change." And walked towards the door.

"Wait a second there is something I didn't get." Rukia said, everyone stopped, "Are you the _dunderhead_ Pianist? The _overgrown carrot_?" she started to laugh hysterically while pointing her finger towards Ichigo. His left eye twitched and his nails were digging painfully in his palm.

"The Overgrown Carrot ?!" he turned towards Renji, their foreheads were touching, Renji was clasping Ichigo's shirt tightly. "Then what does that red hair make you, bastard? An overgrown Tomato?" now there were rolling on the floor, trying to punch and kick each other. Hisagi looked at them sadly, some people never changed, and some never grew up. Renji and Ichigo were one of these people and how unfortunate for them that they had two "dunderheads" in a group of four. That was fifty-fifty.

"Stop it will you?" Hisagi warned. They stopped abruptly and got up. Ichigo was fixing his tie and shirt while Renji was fixing his hair which was flowing down his shoulders. Ichigo smirked towards him. Renji gritted his teeth.

"Oi Rukia your brother is out there waiting for you" Hisagi said turning towards her and he reached his hand out to help her. Rukia walked past Ichigo and Renji, still giggling. On the other hand, Ichigo's friends were in total shock. They knew he was playing piano in some random band but they didn't know it was this band. They didn't know that Ichigo knew these people that well. They didn't know some people were capable of make Ichigo act _normal_, like who he should be, not like who he was now.

"Well I'm going to get some stuff out of my car. Are you going to help me?" Hisagi asked towards two dunderheads who were still throwing daggers at each other.

"Oi, Renji! Ichigo!" they looked at him and frowned. Hisagi get out of the hall and they followed him. Ichigo saw Rukia hugging the Ice king and he didn't hug her back, _again._ He was really creepy, Ichigo thought. They were carrying heavy boxes when they turned back. And everyone was back in the hall again.

"Ok everyone you have one hour to go home, change your clothes, feed your cats and dogs, call your parents bla bla bla" Hisagi waved his hand towards them " We are going to have a lock in!" he continued while walking to the next room behind the hall. They put the boxes in the room.

"Oi, Shuuhei! Whats in those box?" Ichigo asked.

"Stop whining like a girl, even Rukia wouldn't whine if I made her carry those." Renji smirked, Hisagi laughed openly at his expression.

"You should see your face Kurosaki!" Renji added. And they got out of the room. Hisagi followed by a very amused Renji and a frustrated, frowning Ichigo.

"Well why are you still standing?" he asked to the group.

"Aren't you guys going to change?" Ran-Chan asked with a singsong voice.

"Or don't you have cats and dogs to feed or parents to call?" Rukia was smiling knowingly

"Ok let's leave the love birds alone so they can catch up on old times." She grabbed Hinamori's arm and literally dragged her out. Matsumoto went upstairs with Nanao, she was living in the same building with the club, just 1 floor above. Orihime and Ishida left along with Keigo, Tatsuki, Chad and Mizuiro.

They were alone in the huge hall. All four of them; Hitsugaya Toushiro, Hisagi Shuuhei, Abarai Renji and Kurosaki Ichigo. _Just like the old days_, Ichigo thought. He really had a good friendship with Renji. He was some sort of secret keeper, back in the old days. Though they argued a lot, they knew each other pretty well.

Hisagi was always the cool guy with a huge fan club. Ichigo always pitied him because with all the girls after him he only loved one, whose name was still a mystery. Renji on the other hand had a childhood crush know as "insert insult according to the situation bitch" but her real name was unknown too. Toushiro never looked at girls back then but now he obviously was looking.

"So guys, what has changed?" Ichigo asked, he wanted to catch up and he was kinda grateful to Rukia for her understanding. The girl was really perceptive.

"Well you became a HUGE writer and you are one of the hottest guys in Japan." Hisagi smirked.

"I was asking what has changed in YOUR lives…mine is known even by the cashier girl in Starbucks" he frowned.

"Wasn't it what you worked for?" Shiro asked.

"No" was all the answer he got.

"Are you still running after that childhood friend of yours Renji?" Ichigo asked with a mocking voice.

"Why, O course I'm not! let's say she moved on and I'm with Risa now." They were sitting on the fluffy white couches in the hall.

"Risa?! Yadoumaru Risa, you mean?" Renji nodded "Jeez man, may the force be with you. She is a real pain in the ass."

"Wait a second is she _the _Risa? The one you…?" now Renji's face was twisted into something Ichigo couldn't name.

"Yeah….how many Yadoumaru Risa are there in Japan? Of course that's her." He answered coolly.

"There is NO way in HELL I will let you get near Rukia more than 6 feet, you bastard!" Renji roared. Hisagi was laughing hysterically with a smirking Toushiro near him.

"WAI-!...Who told you I want to get near to that freaking girl?!" Ichigo was on his feet and now Toushiro was officially laughing. The sound was pretty foreign for Ichigo's ears. He never heard him laughing, saw him smirking a few times but never laughing.

"Ow Ichigo, you are a bad liar." Renji said.

"At least I'm not still lusting after the same evil bitch who gave you bruises every week!"

"I was happy with my bruises, ok! Besides she looks really hot when she is furious, though I don't recommend for you to try." Renji sat down.

"What?! Is she still around? Isn't she kicking Risa's ass?" Ichigo asked, he sat down after Renji.

"Well no. We are good friends now. We tried to date but we weren't meant to be." Ichigo realized the serious faces of others. He pitied Renji for the second time.

"What about your _princess_ Shuuhei?"

"She is still around and I'm completely over her." He answered coolly while looking at the floor. _Completely over my ass!_ He was still pinning after her.

"Yeah…of course…whatever you say man." He smirked "but I have to ask one thing, why the hell you didn't introduce me with that Kuchiki girl before?" he couldn't help and asked.

"Why would you want to know her?" Renji asked.

"I don't know. She seems like a good girl" Ichigo added with an indifferent tone in his voice.

"Yeah…smooth Ichigo, really smooth!" Renji laughed.

"When you were having your way with girls she was still riding her bike around the park." Hisagi said.

"Jeez men, its not that I had the half of the town!"

"Well Risa is equal to the half of the town!" Renji said. Everyone laughed. His girl friend was a real pain in the ass. She was tough and a little bit psychotic. Ichigo always used the word perverted she-devil to describe her when they were…_hanging_ out, lets say. Renji understood what he meant after 2 weeks. But he liked her and he always liked his girl tough.

"So you two didn't answer my question" Ichigo looked directly in Hisagi's eyes.

"I would never let you near my princess. But how unfortunate that we grew up and she is an independent woman now." Hisagi got up and walked towards the bar. _What?! His princess? We were talking about Rukia why the hell Hisagi sai…Wait a second!_

"You don't mean that do you Hisagi?" Ichigo asked.

"You really are slow Kurosaki..." Toushiro joined the conversation.

"And you are the one to talk, Mr. Subtle!"

"Anyway why would they want to make you meet her while you had the potential to steal her away?" Toushiro asked.

"Ok I understood Hisagi…So Rukia was _the princess…_but what about Renji?... Oh you were keeping his secret!...you have always been good with that!" Ichigo said knowingly. Oh but how little he knew.

"No…Let's say Rukia looks hot when she is frustrated, but again I'm saying I don't recommend you to try it." Ichigo was speechless. His whole world came crushing down on him, _again._ His _ex-_best friends were in love with the same girl! Not to mention she had the potential to drag him into that endless hole too.

"Wow man! I don't know what to say. How do you survive around her?"

"Like you will be surviving." Hisagi came back with four shot glasses and a bottle of tequila.

"Now lets drink for Ichigo and his future obsession with Rukia" Hisagi saluted.

"WAIT! I didn't say anything related with me getting obsessed with that girl. From what I have listened to you guys, she is not my type at all." Ichigo downed his second shot.

"How come? You heard two completely different girls. How can you be sure that she is not a third one who can spin your head?" Renji asked.

"I have to admit she doesn't look anything close to that abusive childhood friend of yours, or the princess like Hisagi painted her." And the third shot was down.

"She is both, don't worry…you will see sooner than you expected. Just be careful there is no way out Ichigo, if you fall in I mean. And rest assured you will, if you are still the Ichigo we know." Renji said while filling his glass again.

"I guess I'm not that boy anymore" Ichigo sighed.

"Then it's more dangerous than ever before…and I think it's stupid to warn you not to fall, because you already did. Denial might be the best way out" he looked at his watch "but it will be useless in half an hour." He pushed himself back into the fluffy couch.

"I didn't know I was that obvious."

"No you weren't…I just understood when you stopped and _apologized_ from us for not calling us in two years. The Ichigo I knew would never admit he did something wrong. The truth is you just wanted to stay _a little_ longer. Your heart fought with your mind and won. Phase ONE complete" Hisagi hold his shot higher "welcome to the club, we hope you can get out without any fatal damage." And dried his glass.

The hall was silent for at least ten minutes. They sat and drank in silence, each knowing that words were not enough or not needed to express anything right now.

"Just know this.; if you break her heart(which you will) I will kill you and burry your body near the river." Hisagi said very seriously. There was something very scary with this guy Ichigo decided. He was kind, funny and knew how to have fun but when he was serious, he was the scariest person he had ever met, of course until this evening. Now he was the second after Kuchiki Byakuya who was the _brother_ of the girl in question.

"And I will help him. I have two shovels at the back of my truck." Renji added again seriously. Ichigo only nodded but managed to say " does that mean you give your _blessings _so that I can have your dream girl?" he saw anger flashing in their eyes and decided that he went a little far, maybe with the word 'have'.

"We messed our chances up. I don't think there is anything special which makes you different than us, but it worths trying….lets move these couches to the other side of the room guys!...we need space." Hisagi directed them.

"Why the hell?" Ichigo asked.

"Because we are going to play Hokey with skates." Renji answered smirking.

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Rukia ran to her house to take out Chappy, change into some more comfortable clothes, and take her books for tomorrow's classes. She felt excited though she didn't know the exact reason. She felt her heart giving a squeeze in her chest when she checked the "might be" list in her head. Tonight's topic was Kurosaki Ichigo.

She really didn't have much time to get to know him. But he had some sort of mysterious aura around him. She liked that, this kind of guys always fed her dream world in which she completely had a different life. However, Kurosaki Ichigo was also closer to the reality more than Shiba Kaien could ever get. She even forgot Kaien for few hours, until he came of course. And even when he was there, somehow her mind eye was searching for Kurosaki.

His mental capacity seemed a little lower than she expected but she could tolerate that. What kind of a moron couldn't bring himself to tell his name anyway? But all in all, she liked Kurosaki Ichigo. Maybe if she gave sometime they could be friends. He wasn't as brat as she thought he was and even if he had a constant scowl on his face, he was kinda cute. Ok maybe a little more than cute. Anyway, she was going to have more time with him tonight.

She opened her door just meet with Chappy and a cleaned up flat. She couldn't believe her eyes. Chappy's food was already poured and his water was full. She walked over her kitchen to find a small note written in Kaien's handwriting:

_I took Chappy out for toilet and a little walk. He is also fed and I turned the TV on so he won't feel himself alone. I hope you enjoyed last night._

_Love,_

_Kaien_

Now what the hell was that? How could he be so cruel? She was so getting over him, meeting new people who might bring new perspectives to her life and here that bastard was trying to win her heart! _Love, my ass!_ _No, no this not going to work! You cannot manipulate me Kaien!_ Her mind screamed.

She dropped the note and sit on the chair near her kitchen counter, put her head in her hands. Her relationship with Kaien was going nowhere. She couldn't expect Hisagi to be there to catch her every time she fall or Renji to beat the shit out of anyone who tried to get closer to her more than 6 feet. She really needed to end this. She has to stop saying yes to Kaien and mind her own business. Maybe things would be different after Kurosaki Ichigo. Guys accepted him pretty fast which meant that they cared about him as a friend, or maybe used to care about him. It seemed like they were getting on well together.

She needed her space, she decided at the end. If only some miracle happened and sent Kaien away for some time so she could get her mind back on more normal things. Her sister always told her that she was too emotional and fragile to live in such a cruel world, so she tried to get stronger but it was not helping. She was sensitive, emotional and even though she hated begin like that she was fragile. But she couldn't let anyone see that. No, she would die rather than let them see how she was, not being able to survive on her own. On the contrary, she was surviving pretty well, mind you! She had a house, a job, she had friends and a dog. She also had a badass, fast car; mostly the one in every boy's dreams. She smiled, yes, she was doing very well on her own. But how she wished that there would be someone to tell her that. She sighed and got up, now was not the time to muse over things like that. She was going to a party! She needed to get dress and maybe take a shower before that.

Yes, shower was definitely a good idea.

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_Where the hell is she? _He thought. This day was turning out to be better than the previous one. He got back with his old buddies, though he had to explain them his reasons later. Finally, he would be able to spend sometime with Rukia! Speaking of which, he couldn't believe both of his friends had(or maybe has) a major crush on her. What was so special about her that the womanizer Renji and Hisagi(with a fan club of his own) was so obsessed with her? Was it physical? _No can't be…wait! Why not?_ He had his share with girls usually around that age and sometime after that. He realized his gut was twitching with the thought of Hisagi or Renji having any physical relationship with her. He needed to think and spend some time, preferably alone, with her. She looked different than other girls but what was the difference. She was hot, she was smart but there was also something, and what was that? This thought only fed his curiosity towards Rukia and he felt his palms sweating.

Everyone was here and they were waiting for Rukia to start. She was late. Was something wrong with her? Did something happen to her on the way? Maybe she had an accident or something like that. His frown became deeper, as if it's possible.

"Don't worry, she probably took Chappy out" Hisagi came and stand next to him. Was he that obvious?

"Of course you are that obvious, idiot." Hisagi smirked.

"Did I tell that aloud?!" and Hisagi laughed. He realized that he liked Hisagi. He was the kind of guy that you could hold on whenever you are falling. He was safe and kind. That was the difference between Shuuhei and Renji. Renji was always tough and aggressive where Shuuhei was always wise and calm. But he liked both of them very much, as friends of course. God but who wouldn't like them after hanging around with Keigo for 15 minutes? The said pervert was still drooling on Rangiku-san. Ah, some people never changed.

Suddenly the door opened and a very cheerful Rukia stepped in, turned and locked the door. She leaned her forehead against the door. Now everyone was looking at her. She was wearing a _very_ low-rise jeans which was hugging her curves nicely. _Too provocative maybe! _Ichigo slapped himself for that thought. A white sleeveless shirt with a deep V-neck and a white sweatshirt with rain-hood under her light brown suede jacket. Her hair was down and looked soft. He noticed her white all-stars and smiled. She had a taste, he had to admit. _Nice ass! _He thought one last time while traveling his appreciative gaze down to her legs.

"Yeah…it's really nice. That's my favorite part" Renji smirked next to him. Jeez but this was getting creepier! First Hisagi and now Renji!

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_Deep breaths Rukia girl! Deep breaths! _She was trying to calm her wild heart. What the hell was wrong with her? She only got in few seconds ago, then she saw Kurosaki Ichigo standing with a black shirt, black trousers and black converse all-stars with a loose black and white striped tie, standing 10 feet away, in all his glory (don't forget the scowl). Her heart skipped a beat and she felt adrenalin rushing through her veins. So she turned and leaned her forehead against the cool door to calm down. She breathed deeply and turned towards the crowd.

"Sorry I'm late!" she cheered. Matsumoto looked at her with a frown on her face. Ichigo wondered why. Women like her did not frown when they see their friends happy, did they?

"Its ok. You probably took Chappy out and fed him." Hisagi said causally and put a hand on her shoulder. She relaxed immediately. Maybe it was no big deal. She smiled weakly at him. Ichigo felt something was awfully wrong. He slowly walked towards her and reached her from behind. The moment he touched her elbow she jumped out of her skin and tripped on her shoelace. _Thank god, he was there to catch her! _She felt warm all over and hold herself gracefully(at least tried). Ichigo realized her blushing prettily and let go of his hands abruptly. She looked at him with questioning eyes. He turned his head towards others who was trying to prepare the place and talked:

"I wanted to ask if you were ok." He mumbled. He was still not looking at her.

"Thank you for asking but you could at least look at me when you are talking to _me._" She said coolly and turned her back. Really, what was his problem anyway? _Nice Ichigo, really nice! _Dumbasshe walked slowly towards his friends to join them.

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"Ok guys tell me how many of you know how to skate" Hisagi said. All of theö raised their hands.

"So now I can tell you that we are going to have a hokey match between boys and girls on skates…now what do you say?" Inoue cheered, as usual, Rukia jumped on Shuuhei, Rangiku clapped her hands happily and crushed Toushiro to her big breasts, Tatsuki was calm as usual, and Ishida pushed his glasses like Nano was doing at the moment.

"I'm not going to play" Chad said. everyone looked at him "I will probably cause fatal damage to someone" he smiled. Now that was a rare thing, besides Chad talking.

"Me neither!" Mizuiro added and turned towards Keigo "He is not going to play either!" he said.

"WHAT?! No I'm going to play!" he insisted.

"You don't know how to skate dumbass!" Tatsuki answered. Keigo didn't dare to stand up against her.

"So ok! Let's have a look!" Hisagi clapped his hands "Ichigo you take Rukia" he nodded towards Ichigo who nodded back at him "I take Ran-Chan" Rangiku blushed and smiled "Toushiro, you take Momo-Chan" white haired boy nodded "Renji, Arisawa is yours" he winked at him "and Ishida-kun with Inoue." He finished. Everyone took their places near their opponents to guard them

"But what about Ise-san!" Inoue asked worriedly. Hisagi smirked.

"She will be the referee" he said "the team which loses takes the winner team out for dinner!" he added and they heard Nanao dropping the puck.

"Let the games begin!" she said really calm. And the hell broke loose.

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Thank god the room was big! She was skating freely with the puck at the end of her stick and she was heading towards her goal. Heading fast with a certain orange haired boy on her heels. She zigzagged Shuuhei who was occupied with a Ran-Chan and passed Renji with a smirk on her face.

Damn it but she was small! To hell with it! _I'm so going to stop her before she made _another_ score!_

"Oi, Ichigo watch her!!" Renji shouted form the other side of the room, still barricading and breathing down Tatsuki's neck to avoid a possible pass between them. The real danger was the Hinamori girl, she was really good(despite her calm, kind look she was a prodigy) and Hitsugaya was no good with her. He was completely distracted and slow, which was pretty impossible because he knew Toushiro, especially with drums.

Damn it but he was distracted too! He heard girls cheering and before he could stop himse—

THUD!!

_Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!_

He opened his eyes carefully. He was sitting on his ass on the floor with a lap full of a Raven-haired girl who was holding her forehead.

"What kind of a chest you have, BAKA?!" she screamed "I felt my skull was splitting into two!!" she continued to scream.

"Not my fault!" he shouted back "if only you watched where you were going!"

"Look who is talking!" she shouted back, now their foreheads were touching and he felt all the adrenalin rushing through his veins. This was a heavenly feeling and he loved it. It was like electricity, it was the sun, it was the stars…then he realized that they were not shouting but only panting…heavily. He pulled back and saw Hisagi skating towards them, grabbing Rukia from his lap, like she weighted nothing. Then he heard Matsumoto laughing and all the girls were cheering.

This was irritating. After an hour of skating, blocking, stick swinging, all he got was an aching ass and 5 girls to take out for dinner. Oh and of course one very angry Rukia. _God Renji was right, she looks so hot when she is angry!_ He couldn't help himself and smirked at the thought.

"I told you!" Renji whispered while helping Ichigo on his feet.

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After calming down and drinking water, they all went upstairs to Matsumoto's flat to continue. When they arrived, they saw a huge circle in the middle of the room which was made of fluffy cushions and a mini bar next to the big pink cushion. _That's Rangiku-san's cushion I guess_, he shrugged at the thought.

Sooner than he realized they were all sitting in a circle, drinking sake. He didn't remember how many he had so far but he felt good. Better than anything for the last few years actually.

Rukia was sitting on his right side and Hisagi was on his left. Everyone was having fun. They were talking about random things, this and that, childhood memories, crushes and first kisses. It was very teenager but it was very mature at the same time. He realized how people overcame their problems and grew up. He saw regret, passion, pain and anger flashing in their eyes. He really _really _liked it.

Until the red head traitor sitting across him asked the fatal question of the night:

"Talking about firsts I'm just curious when everybody had _it_ and with who?" he was smiling widely.

"Oh, mine was Gin, though I don't remember when!" Matsumoto jumped in, she was definitely drunk, Ichigo decided.

"Mine was with Hiyori!" Shuuhei continued grinning.

"Jeez man! Are you serious? Sarugaki Hiyori? I had a crush on her when we were in junior high!" Renji laughed.

"Yeah…We can guess. You always loved your woman brutal and abusive." Toushiro grinned. Rukia laughed at that.

"Well mine was the perverted she-devil, as Ichigo liked to call her _affectionately_!" Renji added.

"Perverted she-devil? I thought it was Risa" Rukia said with a confused tone.

"The one and only… Lets say Ichigo was the most unfortunate one of us…Or should I say fortunate?" Hisagi flashed a grin towards a very confused Rukia.

"Correct me if I'm wrong: Risa was first with Kurosaki and then she ended up with Renji" _what the hell? Why did I suddenly turn to _Kurosaki?_ It was 'Ichigooo' few minutes ago!_ He was so going to kill Renji. No he was not just going to kill him but also feed Chappy with his guts!

"What a shame! A girl shouldn't drop classes!" Ran-Chan said with a serious voice, now everyone laughed at that.

"And she is not that perverted. If reading erotic manga makes you pervert than Ran-Chan is the biggest. She has some romance novels under her couch. They were worse than those mangas Risa read." Rukia stated matter-of-factly. Ran-Chan laughed. Hisagi smirked.

"I told you, she was riding her pink bicycle around the park." Hisagi whispered towards Ichigo.

"I'm sure she had her reasons." Inoue talked, seriously. Now it was getting creepy "Kurosaki-kun does not have-_hick-_ the ability to harbor-_hick-_ any affection towards a living thing." She continued "you know-_hick_ I had a crush on-_hick-_ him when we were in high school…he didn't even realized!" she cheered like she had done something good. All the girls were laughing, actually holding their waists and rolling on the floor. Ichigo blushed but before he could say anything Rukia's phone rang. She looked at it but didn't answer, instead she put it under her huge cushion. That distracted everyone and the subject changed.

The mood turned to normal, all the things forgotten, at least for most of them. But Ichigo realized his mistake. He broke Inoue's heart long time ago and he didn't even know it. He thought that he deserved every future love torture and he realized that he was going to get some major ones because of a long raven-haired girl sting on his right.

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After an hour, everyone was fast asleep on their cushions, most of them in very uncomfortable positions. Ichigo opened his eyes with the sound of something vibrating. It was dark and he was lying flat face on his cushion, his legs were crushing under Ishida's long one (who was sitting opposite to him during _the_ talk). He remembered Rukia putting her phone under her cushion, but where the hell was she? He took the phone out and saw the intruder's name: Kaien. He groaned and rolled on to his back. It was 5:30 according to phone's timer. He realized that Hisagi and Renji were not on their cushions too.

He walked towards the room in the dark and saw the TV on. Then he saw Hisagi dangling down the arm of the huge couch with a Rukia under his arm who had Renji drooling on her shirt. He felt his blood boiling. He forgot the phone and put it in his pocket. He went over the couch to poke Renji.

"Oi, Renji!" he whispered "Wake up or I will give your balls in your hand!" said person groaned and rolled just to fall to the floor.

"What the hell Ichigo?" he groaned.

"Go and find yourself another place!" Ichigo said in a very serious tone which Renji was not expecting.

"A little territorial, are we?" he asked with amusement, but he saw (even in dark) Ichigo's eyes flashing dangerously "Jeez, ok, alright I'm going." And he left to go to a room. Ichigo then turned and poked Shuuhei.

"Oi, Hisagi! Go and find yourself another place!" he said. Hisagi opened his eyes and moved without a word and without disturbing Rukia. He gently lay her down on the couch and turned to Ichigo:

"There is a blanket under the couch, lay it on her, will you?" he turned and left. Ichigo took the said blanket under the couch and laid on her gently. During the said process he whished to be born as a blanket. He wanted to touch her so much! And he did. He stroked the long ends of her hair which was dangling down her shoulders towards the couch. The feeling was amazing, it was soft, very soft and he wanted to do more! He stopped himself immediately, there was a fine line between the pervert lying on the other side of the room(namely Keigo) and him. He was Kurosaki Ichigo. If he were going to get a girl, he would do it like a man!

He sighed and went back to his cushion. Maybe tomorrow would be a new day for both of them. If only he could have her alone!

He fell fast asleep after few minutes. Phone forgotten in his pockets.

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**A/N:** so how was it? Did you like it? I'm explaining for the ones who don't know(don't read the manga or haven't watched arrancar arc yet) Sarugaki Hiyori is really abusive in manga/anime too, she continuously beats the shit out of her partner Shinji. Yadoumaru Risa on the other hand calm but a real pervert and Ichigo really defines her as pervert just because she read erotic manga(two times a day!). Soooooooooooo I hope you enjoyed. I know I have some major grammar mistakes and so but I hope they are not too distracting. Let me see the hands for the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** no I don't own Bleach or any characters in it. I don't own David Copperfield either

**A/N: **there goes chapter 5…I read chapter 263 of the manga last night and I have to admit that it brought tears to my eyes. Back with MY story, I hope you are enjoying this. I hope it's not too slow or too fast for your tastes. Let me tell you this Rukia is not like how she seems, and Ichigo had some things in the past which he is not proud of. They are not bad things but it's a little bit out of character and that disturbs him…sorry for the grammar mistakes (I can't apologize more) let me know what you think and I will give you cookies in the next chapter. Have fun!

**Kuchiki-zelda**: yes Renji has a girl friend named Risa who was Ichigo's…well girlfriend lets say few years ago. Your IchixRuki alone moments are about to come…I can feel them on my fingertips. And Kaien…well I can't say much about that. But let me tell you this he has his won ways and he is…well who he is. Just wait and see.

**Andraq:** In the manga I love Kaien and I hit my head to the walls last night after reading chapter 263. You know what mean, if you are reading it. Fluff, hell yeah. I can say that you will have to put up with fluff more than that in the flowing chapters. And the phone definitely serves for a different thing in the plot…guys can have difficult moments in the morning.

**Lucia Danielle:** yeah they are _adorable_! I'm glad you liked it. And all that good-looking men are just man so that makes them lack of something….can you guess what?

**Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews…keep reviewing and tell me what you want and what you think. I'm open to everything and even though I outlined the whole story I'm sure I can change a few things according to your requests**

_Wet Dreams, Mustang Shelby and Ukitake has a Restaurant?_

_Soft hair was tickling his chest. He buried his hand in that soft hair. Soft lips were trailing small kisses from his collarbone up to his neck. He gave a sigh out. Now that said lips were putting little kisses on his pulse. Said kisses traveled up to his jaw._

_He realized that he couldn't stand it any longer. He grabbed the girl by the neck and flipped her on her back and crushed his lips to hers in a powerful, passionate kiss. _

_He was bracing himself with one arm over her. He trailed his other hand, which was in her hair, down to her arm. She moaned in his mouth. He gently tugged at her shirt and slide his hand in, caressing her back, drawing small circles._

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Rukia got up with a growl. Her back was stiff and she felt cold. A blanket was draped over her but it was still chilly in the morning. She realized she was sleeping alone on the huge couch. She remembered Renji, Shuuhei and her watching TV last night.

She got up from the couch and looked at her wristwatch. It was 10 pm. _What!? 10 p.m?! I'm so dead!_ Her mind screamed. She immediately got up and rose to her feet and went looking for her things, without disturbing the other occupants of the room. Everyone was drooling on their cushions, and sleeping in very uncomfortable positions. She grabbed her jacket and went out to hunt for her cell phone, which she left under her cushion last night. The said cushion was occupied by non other than Kurosaki Ichigo.

He was lying flat face and hugging the said cushion tightly to his chest. He was rubbing his face and moaning at the same time. _Probably having wet dreams_, she thought. She was used to this kind of stuff especially spending so much time around freaks like Renji, he thought her the perverted mind of opposite sex.

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_He was unable to stop himself. She was so soft and responsive under his touch. He pinned her to the floor with his hips and hugged her tightly to his chest, still kissing her with wild abandon. She smelled like blueberries. He nibbled on her lips just to give her (and him) sometime to breath. _

_He rubbed his cheek to her soft one_

"_Rukia" he said, voice thick with desire._

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No, Rukia was getting impatient. She tried to wake him up but he wasn't realizing. _Jeez, what kind of a dream is it, anyway?_

She saw his shirt rolling up a little. She caught a glimpse of his waist and back, which was lean and seemed well defined. _Probably muscular,_ she thought. Yeah that was the reason her head still ached from last night's crush. She hear him groaning and rubbing his face to the cushion under him, hugging it more tightly.

She looked at his arms. They were long and they looked strong. Safe somehow. His hands were big and strong. Again, she could feel safe while being held by them. She didn't slap herself for thinking those because she knew she was attracted to him. Denial was useless. But what was upsetting her was the last night's speech. Not the whole thing but the few sentences that Inoue-san told them. Has he really never been in love? Or did he have a major heartbreak that no one knew? What was his type?

"R-mphffhhp" she heard him murmuring in his cushion, still being hugged viciously by him. She decided that it was time to wake him up because she couldn't find her phone under the said cushion and since Ichigo was occupying it, he probably knew where it is.

"Oi, Ichigo!" she whispered to him. She didn't want to wake the others. She touched his shoulder to shake him a little.

"Ichigo, wake up!" she whispered one more time.

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"_Ichigo…"she whispered in his ear, which sent a shiver down his spine. Her voice was the sweetest. He buried his nose deep into her neck_

"_Ichigo" he heard her again, more insistent this time. What was wrong? Was he doing something bad? Maybe she didn't like what he…_

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He felt a finger poking him in the ribs.

"Oi, Ichigo! You idiot, wake up!" he heard Rukia's sweet voice but it was not as sweet as it was minutes before, it was quite angry and demanding. Seriously, what was wrong? Why the hell was she calling him idiot?

He snapped open his eyes and realized that he was having a dream. He was just about to jump on his feet that he realized he couldn't. Because of that damn dream, he was in no position to turn towards her. _Damn her!!_

"What!? Baka, what do you want?"

"Have you seen my phone?"

"How can I see your phone? Jeez, I'm not the keeper of it! Go away, let me sleep." He buried his face in the cushion which smelled like blueberries. He inhaled deeply, _blueberries!_ Then he remembered last night. Her phone ringing and that Kaien bastard calling her at 5:30 in the morning. Memories returned back; how he found her fast asleep between Hisagi and moron Renji. He groaned. And heard her answering him.

"Just because I woke you up form your wet dream doesn't mean you have the right to snap at me!" she hissed between clenched teeth.

Ichigo groaned again. He was a bastard and he knew this. Why the hell did he snap at her? He had to apologize now.

"Well if I give you your phone will you go away and leave me alone?" _now that wasn't what he wanted to say!_

"Just give me the phone Kurosaki." She said with an annoyingly serious tone. He took the phone out of his pocket and turned his face towards her. He wanted to see the expression on her face when she saw who called her last night, or rather few hours ago.

She took the phone away from his hand and looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Well your black-haired carefree friend called few hours ago." He said coolly, like it was nothing.

"Kaien?" she flipped her phone open and looked at it. She also saw a message. She decided not to read it. She didn't want Kurosaki boy to see her at a vulnerable moment. But she was late. Ichigo already saw the sadness and anger passing in her eyes.

"Well I need to go anyway. Its 10 a.m and I'm late for school."

"WHA-"Everything forgotten, Ichigo bolted up right and before he could finish his rather loud sentence a hand clamped down on his mouth.

"Are you insane, you are going to wake them up!" she whispered.

"Shit! I'm late! I had a meeting with Yoruichi-san at 9!" he was panicked, she could see.

"Ok, go grab your things I will drop you on my way." She said. Ichigo looked at her with surprise evident in his eyes.

"T-Thank you." He managed to say. And got up. Thank god, he was back to _normal._ If she saw him like that, it would be rather embarrassing. He quickly went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face and grabbed his jacket.

Matsumoto cracked an eye open and watched the whole event between the two. She could see that they were attracted to each other. Especially the Kurosaki boy, but denial was not his most powerful subject so it seemed. Young men were so weak when it came to seeing the truth and accepting the feelings let alone welcoming them. That's why she liked older man, like Gin. She closed her eyes immediately, seeing Ichigo coming out of her bathroom, grabbing his jacket.

She would talk to Rukia later.

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When they got out of the apartment, Ichigo started to walk towards a red mini-cooper which was parked in front of the building.

"Where the hell are you going!?" Rukia shouted after him. He turned towards her with his hands in his pocket. He was wearing his jacket, his tie was looser than ever and his hair was a mess. But he looked very cute Rukia thought. So cute that she wanted to jump on him and kiss him to oblivion. She shook her head to clear the image out of her head.

"Well I'm going towards your car, baka!" he shouted back.

"What made you think that _that_ mini cooper is mine?" she crossed her arms on her chest and looked at his with a challenging smirk on her face.

"I don't know…girls like you usually drive these cars. It matches with your lack of height!" he was smirking until he felt a knee meeting with his shin.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?" he shouted.

"For calling me short of course!" she turned and started to walk towards a car which suspiciously looked like a mustang Shelby "well what are you waiting for Kurosaki! Follow me!" she looked behind from her shoulder. This was a very sexy look Ichigo realized, he hair waving with the morning breeze. He followed her, like an obedient puppy. And they stopped in front of _that_ car. _No way in hell! _Ichigo thought.

"Is _this_ your car!?" he asked.

"Yeah…is it _that _surprising for a girl to drive _this _car?" she asked emphasizing the words this and that.

"Well…I…nah, forget it. I'm getting late anyway!"

"Don't worry about that. We will call Yoruichi." She hoped into the car wait for Ichigo to get in. when she started the engine Ichigo felt like he was having another dream. A car like that shouldn't be under a girl like _that. Now whats wrong with the girl?_ a voice in his head asked. _Nothing, just she is petite and…well she is petite! _he answered back. But it was not the real reason. The car was completing her _dream girl_ image which could probably give any normal man a month worth wet dreams. That was the irritating part because he was a man too!

"Let me call Yoruichi and tell her that I kept you so that you are late because of me." She offered. She flipped open her phone and placed it in its car kit, hands free mode.

"There is no need for that just call her and tell her that you are dropping me in half an hour." He said. she pressed few buttons and the phone started to ring.

"_Moshi, moshi!"_ cheered Yoruichi from the other side.

"Ohayo, Yoruichi-san!"

"_Oh, look who is calling! What do I owe the pleasure of hearing your sweet voice?"_

"Well…It's about Ichigo."

"_You are LATE young man!"_ she said in an irritated voice. Ichigo felt uneasy about her knowing that he was here.

"Yeah…sorry…I guess." He scratched the back of his head. Rukia realized that he looked like a little boy when he was doing that. She found it cute and lovable. Another reason to think more about Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Anyway! He was with us last night, and you know Matsumoto…she made him drink a whole case of sake!" she laughed. They heard Yoruichi laughing on the other side too.

"_Ok, you are forgiven. Bring him AND your own lazy ass here. I have Retsu-san here. we will be waiting."_ She said with a singsong voice awfully close to Urahara's and shut the phone.

"That went well, better than I expected actually…I was expecting her to yell and give me a lecture on my responsibilities."

"Really? Has she ever done that?" Rukia asked with curiosity. Ichigo thought that she was not ready hear the whole story but he decided to tell her in the future.

"Yeah…sometimes…anyway how come you know her so well?"

"Unohana-san is good friends with Soi-Fong and Yoruichi since high school I guess." She answered coolly.

"And Unohana-san is your Ic-brother's girlfriend, huh?"

"Girlfriendsounds so juvenile, but yeah they are in a relationship for the last 4 years." She smiled. He noticed the smile was a little sad.

"You don't want to share your brother…I can understand that."

"No, no it's not that." She was not looking at him so he couldn't see her eyes "I like Unohana-san." She added, still not looking at him.

"I heard you calling her sensei last night…what do you study?"

"You don't know who Unohana Retsu is?"

"I'm afraid not. Though I understood she is some sort of well known person for what she is doing."

"Well she is one of the greatest and well known photographer in Japan…she had the biggest exhibition in Japan history 3 months ago." She informed.

"Are you serious? I remember now Ishida, being the _most_ intellectual and sophisticated of the group, dragged us to that exhibition. I have to admit that I even found a story to base on it."

"Yeah…reconstruction of Japan…It looks sad isn't it, with all history combining with technology. Is it really killing it or glorifying it?" she asked.

Ichigo realized that he was really enjoying talking to her. She was different than most of the girls he knew. You could talk to her about things that most people did not understand. That made her mysterious. She had different thoughts, different views and Ichigo wanted to know all. He wanted to know what was going in her mind and he wanted to his ideas with her. With that thought, he felt a little afraid. She was definitely what can be considered as dangerous for guys. You could fall easily in love with her type and they were so rare that you wouldn't want to lose but you would end up losing both your mind and the girl at the end of the process. Maybe Hisagi was right.

"Hey aren't you late for school?"

"No, baka! My professor is with Yoruichi, that means with a paper from her I'm excused form all of my classes." She smiled mischievously at him. He realized that he liked that smile; he liked the way her eyes flashed with mischief and amusement. He liked the curve of her soft lips when smiling. He took a deep sigh.

They turned to left and then right to stop in front of a skyscraper. Yoruichi's office was here. they got out of the car when she parked it and slowly walked towards the building. Ichigo looked at her with a viewing eye. She was wearing the same thing from yesterday with only one difference. She was not wearing that white t-shirt with a _low, deep_ V-neck but she was wearing a simple white cotton shirt which had its top 4 buttons undone. That left little to imagination and he had to smack himself mentally four times, to take his eyes of that part.

When they reached the building they entered it and she greeted the security guards with a smile and wave at them. They waved back at her. Ichigo felt jealous, though he didn't know why. They were security guards for fucks sake! He instinctively put his hand on her lower back to guide her and flashed a dangerous look the guards. He led her to the elevators.

Urahara owned the whole 36th floor as his publishing firm. When they entered Rukia realized that girls were looking at Ichigo and eyeing him like predators. She felt jealous. Why the hell they were looking at him! He was with her, couldn't they see?

"Ohayo Kurosaki-kun!" two girls cheered from the left corner. Ichigo smiled and nodded towards them. all the girls knew who that raven-haired beauty was. She was very well known under the name of _Kuchiki Princess_ or_ Porcelain doll._ All the girls hated her with their guts but smiled to her face only to talk behind her. Thought they were curious today. She usually came here with her hot brother Kuchiki Byakuya or with that hot, black-haired photographer OR with another hot black-haired hokey player. To sum up she was always with hot boys even if one of them was her brother.

They arrived at Yoruichi's office door after an eventful walking through the corridors. Her secretary greeted them and called Yoruichi to ask permission. Said women opened the door and jumped on them, hugging them furiously. Ichigo thought she was trying to smother him; Rukia on the other hand was choking between Yoruichi's breasts because she was short and the woman was pressing her face to her breasts.

"Oi, Yoruichi-san I can't breathe!...and I think Rukia is already seeing the bright light on the other side of the room!"

"Oh, sorry!." She said happily, clapping her hands, leaving them to breath.

"No worries." Rukia said. Ichigo looked at her and saw that her hair was dishelved and her revealing shirt was a little bit more revealing with the lost 5th button. She seemed to realized that and button it up immediately. But it was enough for him to see her peach colored lace bra. Now _that _was distracting. He averted his gaze. And cleared his throat.

They talked about absolutely nothing for the following 45 minutes. And Ichigo was getting bored. He wished to spend those 45 minutes in a more constructive way. _Like having Rukia alone? _The voice asked. _No you pervert, maybe having a breakfast would be nice!_ He snapped back at the voice. _You mean having a breakfast _with_ her?_ The voice added. Ichigo didn't want to argue with his inner self anymore. he sighed and immediately regretted it.

"Are you bored Kurosaki-san?" Unohana asked gently.

"Me? N-no, of course not!"

"Did you have anything to eat this morning?" she asked with worry in her tone. Ichigo felt surprised at her concern. She really was a kind woman, wasn't she?

"Well…" before he could answer Rukia jumped in.

"I'm going to take him to 13th bantai!" she cheered.

"Wha-? 13th bantai? What the hell is it?" Ichigo looked at her.

"Ow, Its one of the greatest in the city. Actually Ukitake owns the place, it's a cute little restaurant with amazing food." Yoruichi answered.

"Well you can come to!" Rukia claimed. _Please say no, please say no!_ Ichigo begged, mentally on his knees.

"Nah, we are going to meet with Soi-Fong for lunch" said Yoruichi. Ichigo gave out a breath he didn't know he was holding "you can leave actually. You must be starving!" she finished.

"Yeah…kind of. Don't you have anything to say to me Yoruichi-san?" Ichigo asked while getting up.

"Do you have any new ideas? Have you thought on what I said?" a few minutes passed before Ichigo answered.

"Yeah I have thought about it but no thanks. I guess I'm going to do it in my way." He answered. He reached to help Rukia on her feet, which she thought very gentleman like. They bid their goodbyes and left.

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"So what do you say Ret-san?" Yoruichi asked with an evil smile on her face. Her friend laughed.

"They will be a good couple. So I'm in!" Unohana said with her own evil smile.

They only need to make Soi-Fong join them. and that was pretty easy.

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"Car can stay here. The place is few blocks down there." Rukia said.

"Ok then let me put my jacket and that stupid tie in your car." He said. after they put his things to her car. They slowly walked down the alley with hands in their pockets. She liked the feeling of walking by his side. He had that safe aura around him and she felt like nothing could happen to her when she was with him. He put his hand on her lower back _again_ when they were passing through a crowd in the street. That sent shivers down her spine and she sweat dropped. On her other side, the owner of the said hand was not doing any better. He had his own desires to keep under control and it was not easy.

Finally they reached the restaurant after a good 15 minutes walk, because they walked pretty slowly, and greeted by two waiters. The restaurant was small and cozy, Ichigo realized. He liked that place, it had a familiar feeling. Old and safe, like home. He couldn't expect less from Ukitake. The man himself was the mere symbol of these things. They sat down and ordered their food. Ichigo was so hungry that he could wolf down a whole elephant on his own. But _wolfing _down would be ungentlemanly, so he had to settle with less.

"You are going to love the food." Rukia said..

"Really? I'm sure it's good. You probably eat the best food so I trust your judgment." Ichigo smiled.

"Best food? Are you kidding? I suck at cooking."

"Oh, don't you have maids?"

"No…I'm not living with my brother." She said simply.

"How come?"

"Are you trying to tell me that you are living with your parents Kurosaki?" she asked with an evil smile on her face.

"NO! Of course not! And its Ichigo…call me by my given name." he frowned.

"I thought so…and I'm not living with Nii-sama either…actually Hisagi cooks all my food. He cooks 3 times a week for two and brings my share. Other than that I'm having pizza and stuff like that."

"Really? Shuuhei cooks? Jeez, you made my day! I can tease him a bout that…and trust me no good food can keep you in my father's house. He is an old pervert who teams up with my little sister Yuzu just to turn my life into hell. I love my sisters dearly but they make a lot of noise when they come together with dad."

"How about your mom?"

Rukia realized that she asked something she shouldn't.

"Dead…" he said.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't bring this up."

"Nah, don't worry, it was 5 years ago. When I was 16 she died in a plane crush." He sighed,

"what about yours, you only talk about _Nii-sama._"

"It's complicated, but to put simply they are dead too. Both of them before you ask."

"Complicated? Why is that?"

"Well…"

"Ok you don't need to tell me…sorry for asking, I ….I just wanted to know I guess." He tried to smile, but he couldn't. His heart cried for her loss. She didn't deserve that, she was a kind person. Why would things like that happen to people like them?

Their food arrived just in time. They ate in silence and than talked about usual stuff like movies, music. He learned that her favorite band was Nine Inch Nails, which was representing everything she was not, in his opinion of course. But she claimed that she had good reasons to _adore_ that band. She simply said that she found herself in his(Trent something his name was) lyrics. He also found out that one of her favorite movies was Fried Green Tomatoes, she said she cried every time she watched it.

The way back to car was silent and almost the same with the way to the restaurant. Its was noon and autumn breeze was caressing their skin coolly. He looked at her and saw her hair swaying in the breeze. He smiled. She really was beautiful, probably the most beautiful one he has ever seen. She was like a porcelain doll.

They finally arrived near the car.

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The road to home was silent but he could keep it in himself any longer.

"Have you called Kaien back?" Ichigo asked, as cool as possible.

"Nah, I will call him later."

"Maybe he wanted something." He said.

"Maybe." She answered.

"Aren't you going to call him?"

"Why are you so interested anyway?" she asked turning towards him to look him in the eye. He immediately turned his head.

"I'm not…He just called you and you didn't call him back. Do you treat your friends like that?" before he could take back, the words were already out of his mouth. He didn't want to say it like that but he felt anxious after her question. So he tried to cover up but in the end messed everything. He saw her stiffening. _What kind of a moron are you?!_ The voice screamed in his head.

"Only to the ones who deserve, that this special treatment." She said without looking at him. They arrived in front of his house.

"Well thank you…for the meal and dropping me…" he played with the hem of his black shirt. He was torn in between asking her to come up stairs and leaving. It was noon and they could have a cup of coffee but it was probably not such a good idea. He turned towards her only to see her coming directly at him. Before he could understand she kissed him lightly on the lips. It was a very small kiss, very small. It might even be friendly but Ichigo was speechless.

He just opened the door and stepped out. Once he stood he retrieved his jacket from the back seat and closed the door. He tired to smile but his stomach was twitching so painfully that he could only manage a little smirk which turned into a scowl. Before he could bring himself to say goodbye Rukia started the engine and went down the road. He stared behind her, dumbfounded.

He didn't see the sadness in her eyes. He didn't even realized what he has done. He was just happily heading back to his apartment.

When he opened his door, he sighed with relief. He touched his lips and smiled. Suddenly he felt the urge to write something. He had an idea in his mind. He took his shoes off and threw his jacket over his couch. He locked the door and went next to his desk. He slowly touched the buttons of his old typewriter and sat in front of it. After caressing it with affection, he put out a new white sheet and started to write:

_CHAPTER I_

_I AM BORN_

_Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born(as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve a clock at night. It was marked that the clock began to strike, and I began to cry, simultaneously._

_In consideration of the day and hour of my birth, it was declared by the nurse, and by some sage women in the neighborhood who had taken a lively interest in me several months before there was any possibility of our becoming personally acquainted, first, that I was destined to be unlucky in life and second that I was privileged to see ghosts and spirits; both these gifts inevitably attaching, as they believed, and all unlucky infants of either gender, born towards the small hours on a Friday night…_

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**A/N **: I hope you liked it guys! a little info: NIN is my favorite band and I cry every time I watch Friend Green Tomatoes ;) don't forget to review!

Next chapter: probably the second meeting and headlights on Rukia! A little Kaien maybe...who knows...tell me what you want, tell me tell me tell me!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** there is no way I can own something like Bleach.

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay guys/girls but my school started on Monday and it was a painful week with new lecturers and classes. First of all I want thank you all for your super motivating reviews, keep reviewing! Second, I started to write a new story which will be darker than this one and I already posted its first chapter. So when you have time, check that one too. Third, I have to warn you that from this chapter on there will be some major drama/angst. I put it under general for that reason, general as Humour, Angst, Drama bla bla bla. There will also be fluff as expected from story under the genre romance, but no worries you will never hear Ichigo saying "you bewitched me body and soul and I love and love and love you" (Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice). Before you asked let me explain a few points; Rukia might seem happy, cheerful and super friendly but she has some major problems under that façade. On the other hand Ichigo has his own problems and traumas related with his past, he has done things that he is not proud of. So with that pre-information I hope you enjoy and like they way I write. Sorry for the grammar mistakes and so, its not easy to find a beta but if any of you volunteer I will gladly accept the offer.

**karenkate-kitty**: I know, and Im sorry if its too distracting, but its not easy to find a beat reader. I will try harder and double-check them. I hope this won't bother you too much. And I know you are not dissing me, so its ok. I hope you like this chapter.

**KrazyCandy:** I needed two crazy women with a down to earth, wise friend. Can you think anyone better than that 3? They are my golden trio and your guess is right ;)

**Andraq:** your IchixRuki moments are about to come but I need to clear out a few points before I start to write those. So I hope you will enjoy and check out my new one, you might like that too.

**kuchiki-zelda:** he is slow isn't he? Well lets hope someone will kick this into his thick skull

"We should not shed tears

That is a surrender of the body to the heart

Its only proof

That we are beings that do not know

What to with our hearts" tagline from Bleach manga, Volume 7, The Broken Coda

_Just a Reflection, Just a Glimpse, just a little Reminder_

_Don't cry! Don't cry! STUPIDDDDDDDD!!_ She collapsed on the floor and started to cry hysterically. No one was going to love her, no one!

She didn't remember the way back home, she started crying in the car and she ran past her doorkeeper while still sobbing. She opened her door and collapsed on the floor. She dragged her legs and cuddled to her chest. Chappy was running towards her, trying to cheer her. She hugged him only to cry harder.

She hasn't been crying for a _very_ long time, it was during… Well, Byakuya always told her that crying was a weakness and they didn't have any place for that in their lives. She couldn't even cry in her sister's funeral. She could only grab Byakuya's hand who was standing coldly next to her. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream but she was so afraid of him that she couldn't even make a noise.

She slowly dragger herself to her room and hopped on her bed without taking her clothes off. She opened her drawer and took a pill with a glass of water which was still standing on her nightstand from yesterday. She hardly swallowed and put her head on her pillow still sobbing hysterically.

Why did she kiss him? What was her problem? Was she that pathetic to jump on a guy she knew only for a day? Was she..? Was she…?

Before she could complete her chain of though she fell fast asleep.

"_Nii-sama please! I'm begging you! Pleaseee!" she was trying too hard not to cry. She wanted to scream, she wanted to hit him, hit him hard. She wanted to run away, but she couldn't do that. She promised her sister._

"_No, we are selling it and that's my final decision."_

"_I will do whatever you want, just please…I will be a good girl, I will never bring shame to Kuchiki name." raven-haired ten year-old girl, dressed in white, was standing in front of him. She was on the verge of crying. Byakuya looked at her small form, hands clasped in front of her and her little white dress was perfect. _

"_I'm not going to say that again Rukia, that's my final words…now you can get out, and close the door behind you please." He said coldly and turned towards the window with his hands behind his back. _

_She got out of the room and started to run down the stairs, she ran, ran and ran._

"_Come on papa! Run!" a five-year-old girl was running with her long black hair waving._

"_Slow down my little nymph! Papa is an old man!" said a man with black hair and violet eyes, running after his daughter. Said girl opened a huge door and ran into a huge garden with a Victorian style swing hanging down a huge silver birch, in the middle of it. The garden looked like the ones in the storybooks with all sorts of colorful flowers and high walls surrounding it. It was their secret garden. They came here every morning together to read books and also some evenings to have picnics on the grass._

"_Papa come sit on the swing!" shouted the little girl, excitedly. The middle-aged man walked towards her and sat on the swing._

"_Take me Papa!" the girl held her arms in the air for her father so that he could grab her. He swept her off her feet in one fluid motion and sat her on his lap. The girl hugged her father tightly and buried her head in his chest._

"_Lets continue with David Copperfield shall we, nymph?" he asked._

"_Yup, yup!" she cheered happily and buried her nose back into his chest. The man chuckled. Her father smelled like sandalwood. Oh, how she loved that smell. _

_Sandalwood…she opened her eyes to look at his father and met with two amber eyes, instead of violet, boring into her soul. She kissed him lightly on the lips, she sighed._

"_Ichigo…"_

She snapped her eyes open and looked around herself frantically, trying to adjust herself. _Dream, it was a dream!_ She was panting and her heart was beating very fast. She needed to get out of this house immediately or she was going to choke.

She kicked her blanket. _Blanket, what blanket? I don't remember having one last night,_ she wondered for a second and got out of her room only to come face to face with a smiling Matsumoto.

"Ohayoooooooo, Kia-chan!" she was disgustingly cheerful for 9 a.m in the morning.

"Oh, Ran-Chan…what are you doing in here?" she asked with a low voice.

"What am I doing? Well you haven't been around for two days so I was worried about you and…" as she was continuing Rukia screamed:

"WHAT?! TWO DAYS?! I SLEPT FOR TWO DAYS!!" she screamed.

"Do you really have to scream at the top of your lungs?" came a muffled voice behind her. It suspiciously sounded like Shuuhei.

"Shuuhei?!" she turned only to hit her head into his chest. He frowned down at her.

"Yes who were you expecting, Kurosaki Ichigo?" he smiled and his smile faded in two seconds after seeing her pained expression. Matsumoto saw that too.

"What happened? You were all happy leaving us alone, lying on that cold floor of mine!" she asked panic evident in her voice. She sat down on her couch and Shuuhei and Rangiku came after her. Hisagi sitting on the coffee table while Rangiku sitting next to her on the couch.

"Well nothing happened, really…" she sighed.

"I'm going to kill that bastard!" Shuuhei was on his feet now, very angry.

"No…No it's not like that." She said sadly, her eyes getting all watery again. She bit back the new tears.

"So what was it?" Ran-chan asked.

"I took him to Yoruichi's office…we met Unohana-san there and sat down and talked to them. Then we went to 13th Bantai to have lunch…"she stopped, taking deep breaths. "It was all good and…and…I-I kissed him…" there was a silence.

"I guessed so, until that part…and then?" Matsumoto asked with a serious tone, unlike her usual one.

"Well..." her heart was beating faster and she felt like she couldn't breath. Really, whats the big deal if you are rejected? That bastard shouldn't have any affect on her! "he didn't kiss me back…he just got out of the car, took his jacket and closed the door."

"Not even a good-bye?" she asked with hope in her tone.

"Nope." She gave a huge sigh. And covered her face with her hands. "I mean…I don't know whats wrong with me…seriously…I…I don't know." She mumbled, while rubbing her face.

"Excuse me but you are talking about Kurosaki in here, that's the very definition of who he is. He is a _boy_." Shuuhei joined the conversation after a big silence.

"What do you mean Shuuhei?" Rukia asked.

"Look, its not my business to talk about his life and his past but without giving too much I can safely say that he is not used to this kind of treatment." Got up and sat next to Rukia "he probably thinks he has done everything right…and I don't think he intentionally didn't bid you goodbye…what did you do after he closed the door?" he asked.

"What did I do? I drove down the road of course, what did you expect!?" she snapped at him. He wasn't the guilty one but Rukia couldn't help herself, she was angry, she was broken, rejected and most of all she was miserable.

"That's it!" Matsumoto cheered "He was probably going to say it after he closed the door!" she continued.

"Yeah….probably" Shuuhei added "Rukia can I ask you something?" he continued.

"Yeah…whatever." she replied carelessly.

"Do you really like him that much or are you trying to replace Kaien?" now Hisagi didn't ask questions like that did he?

"No…I don't even think of Kaien when I'm with Kur-Ichigo." she sighed again "actually that's interesting; I didn't know that I was able to get over him that easily. But its not just that, Ichigo has something I cannot name, I don't know what it is. But he reminds me of something, or maybe someone. But it's not Kaien…it's the feeling itself." She got up and started to walk around in her flat.

"What do think Shuu-chan?" Rangiku asked Hisagi, whispering.

"Maybe she just trusts him, you know. Ichigo has always had that super strong, trustworthy aura around him…Maybe she needs some sort of support that we cannot give, a different sort of affection maybe." He answered. Matsumoto always liked that part of Hisagi. He was insightful and caring. He was also strong and dangerous if tempted.

"What did you mean by 'its not my business to about his past'? Is it something bad? Tell me now Hisagi Shuuhei or I will give your balls in your hand!" her voice was rising with every word.

"Calm down, woman! Its not like that. He just had tough times. If you ask me it was perfectly normal for a guy but a normal thing for a normal human being is usually something abnormal for Kurosaki Ichigo…let me put it like this…Risa is a part of that past." Shuuhei said putting his big warm hand on Matsumoto's shoulder. Matsumoto sighed, a feeling washed over her, she felt safe with Shuuhei's hand on her shoulder. She knew he would never let anyone harm Rukia.

"And besides Ichigo likes her." He stopped for a moment "no actually he is _in love_ with her." He grinned evilly.

"NO WAY!" Rangiku shouted. That only brought Rukia into the room with eyes wide open, panicking.

"Whats wrong!?" she shouted back.

"Nothing!" Hisagi and Matsumoto shouted at the same time.

"Let's go out and grab something to eat!" Rangiku offered to change the subject.

"Yeah…you go eat…I have some things to do." Shuuhei smiled.

"Shuu-chan, please! Don't go after him." Rukia said pleading.

"Who said I'm going after him…I'm gonna find _Shiro-chan_ and _make_ him come join us for dinner. You know Momo is pretty upset because he didn't show for _one _day!" he finished, grabbed his jacket and literally ran out.

"Now let's go and eat something, I'm starving!" Ran-Chan said and dragged her out of her apartment.

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It has been 3 days and he was still sitting in front of his typewriter. His eyes tired from writing. He has finished whole three chapters in three days! That was a record for him, chapter one: I am born, chapter two: I observe and chapter 3: I have a change.

A huge inspiration came after his Rukia's kiss. And he wrote these three chapters in a complete state of euphoria. He didn't even need his sleep. He just wanted to get it out of his system. And for the first time he was satisfied with his fist draft.

He called Yoruichi this morning to inform her on the development and heard her bursting into tears, constantly saying "oh, Ichigo, oh Ichigo….I did it! I did it!" but he couldn't give any meaning neither to her action nor to her words so he shut the phone and went back to sit in front of it again. Yoruichi came and took them half an hour ago and now he was still sitting and gazing at it lovingly. He really loved his typewriter. It was a gift from his mother whom he loved more than anything.

He felt his heart breaking all over again three days ago, when he was telling it to Rukia. But it didn't matter at that time. She was there, so he could tell her. She would never judge him, but instead love him openly. Without being afraid of him or without trying to change him. She was the best person who could understand him. Her parents were dead too, though he didn't know how. He could feel happy again, with Rukia, he could feel understood and cherished and cared. She would do the things that other girls couldn't, she could give him his heart back.

He really didn't have time to think of her for the last three days but now she was the only thing in his mind for the last hour. Maybe he would take a bath, shave and then call her to ask her out for dinner.

_Wait!_

_Shit!_ _Shit!_ _Shit!_ _Shit!_ _Shit!_ _Shit!_ _Shit!_ _Shit!_ _Shit!_ _Shit!_

He didn't ask her phone number!! How could he be so stupid!? He sighed, sat down on his chair again and started to think. She kissed him, ok but why didn't she asked his number? Maybe he should ask her number. _No wait she drove away from you, idiot! That means you did something wrong!!_ That stupid voice screamed. He felt like his head was splitting into two. He didn't do anything wrong, they had lunch together and then she dropped him. _She was the one who invited you there, BAKA! _The voice screamed again.

He decided to take a shower and then call the club to ask Hisagi. He would tell him her number. Just when he took his t-shirt and started to walk towards the stairs he heard subtle knocking on his door.

He opened it just to be slammed to the wall with a strong hand around his neck and Hisagi's face inches away from his.

"I'm going to tell you this once, so you can put it in your head Kurosaki" he hissed, Ichigo could feel his breath on his face. "If you ever make her cry I will castrate you and send the said parts to your sisters, do you understand?" he asked. Ichigo could only nod with the strong hold around his neck.

"So you have only tonight to make it right." He let go of him. Ichigo managed to breathe only few minutes after rubbing his throat.

"What are you talking about Hisagi?" Ichigo asked.

"You need to start living again Kurosaki. You forgot the basics of Survival 101." He smirked, his mood suddenly changing into a more friendly one. But Ichigo was scared; he knew Hisagi was dangerous when he was mad. And it was his last wish to make him mad.

"Call me an idiot, but I still don't understand."

"Simple…If a girl kisses you, not to mention that's Kuchiki Rukia a.k.a the untouchable, that means she likes you, or to make a more subtle point, she is _incredibly _attracted. I don't understand man, she kissed you and you only managed to got out of the car and grab your jacket!? What kind of a disgrace to manhood are you? Jeez, get a grip man!" he turned and grabbed the doorknob "Don't forget. Tonight at 7. We will come and grab you…and next time kiss her back or I will cut your throat and take your tongue out of it." He opened the door and left.

Ichigo thought that it was a daydream but only last few seconds, until he winced with the pain because of a possible bruise on his back. Jeez, he was really overprotective. Kuchiki Rukia, the untouchable, huh? Well he could do something about that! He grinned evilly. He would definitely make it up to her tonight. Maybe he would take her upstairs and snog her senseless on his fluffy couch. He passed the said couch. Or maybe he could offer her ice cream and then snog her on the couch. Or maybe…

He didn't like where his train of thought was going so he stopped. He needed to focus on tonight. He needed to make a good impression on her friends and of course, more importantly, on her.

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He took a long bath and shaved. He put on a whit shirt and a dark brown leather jacket with jeans and his dark brown puma romas. He felt more than ready so the only thing left was to wait.

He waited until 7:15 when Renji and Shuuhei came and literally dragged him out of his apartment.

They entered to a cute little restaurant with cozy decoration that reminded him Ukitake's place.

"Where is this place? I have never been here before." He looked around him, he felt satisfied without even looking at the menu.

"This is 8th bantai, Kyouraku's place…well more like a companion restaurant to 13th bantai." Renji answered. They arrived at a huge table with lots of people around it. Most of them from that night.

He recognized the girls and nodded towards them. He saw his own friends, but only Inoue, Ishida, Chad and Tatsuki. Thank god, Keigo was not here! He also saw Risa standing next to a very nervous, sweating Toushiro.

"Look who is here." Risa greeted him with her usually cool and serious tone.

"Hi Risa, long time no see, huh?" Ichigo tried to smile, but he felt his blood running cold. Why was she here anyway? Wait, she was Renji's girlfriend, wasn't she? _Shit! _Was all he could manage.

"Yeah…and you haven't changed a bit…still the same old Neanderthal I see." She smirked. Ichigo felt his blood starting to boil. Thank god, Rukia was not here!

Renji sat next to Risa and Hisagi sat next to Matsumoto who was wearing a _little_ revealing shirt, not that he minded but she was a really beautiful woman. And after Hisagi's pep talk today, he felt that he was indeed a 'male' with every inch of his body and now that way of thinking was working faster than it should while Matsumoto Rangiku was sitting in front of him. _Must not look! Must not look!_ He repeated to himself.

After half an hour, everyone was chatting and laughing freely. Ichigo wondered where Rukia was. He really missed her during that three days period. Yes, he could be dismissive when it came to his work but it wasn't that Rukia called him or something anyway.

After another ten minutes, he realized Shuuhei checking the doorway. He turned his gaze only to see a Rukia with a Kaien on her heels coming towards them. She was wearing white baggy Bermuda pants with a dark blue GAP sweatshirt on it and dark blue-black puma romas, like his own. He realized that Kaien was wearing the male version of her clothing and had a scowl on his face. He never saw him scowling before, not that he was seeing him everyday but it was strange. Rukia was playing with something suspiciously like a Nintendo DS.

Suddenly Kaien grabbed the gameboy from her hands and put it in his pocket. Everyone was looking at them. Rukia stared at him with cold empty eyes. And turned her head just to walk towards her friends' table. Kaien followed her.

"Hi guys!" he greeted them. "Sorry to interrupt but Rukia came to tell that she will be busy tonight." That silenced everyone around the table. Ichigo couldn't keep it any longer in himself:

"Well then I'm sure she can manage to inform us on her own." He said coolly looking directly at Kaien.

"How unfortunate for us that she is having one of her moods right now." He answered in the same cool tone with Ichigo.

"Really? What are you going to do Kia-chan?" Matsumoto asked.

"We are going to an exhibition in the national museum." She answered coldly, her voice was low and somehow very detached.

"You have to be kidding!?" Risa shouted next to them. Renji decided that he was permanently deaf after that. "How did you find tickets!? They were sold out months before!"

"You see Risa, that's the best part of being good students!" Kaien said in a cheerful way, which was betraying his current mood.

"Yeah…Unohana-sensei gave me two tickets and I stumbled upon Kaien on my way. So we are going to the exhibition." She said again coolly, her eyes cold.

"With that clothes?" Hinamori asked.

"Yeah…whats wrong with them? We didn't have time to change anyway, since she tried to ran over 6 foot passenger, pick a fight with two drivers and violate half a dozen traffic rules just to come here in 20 minutes _from the university campus!_" he snapped at her. He looked like he was not talking to them but it was more like he was talking to her. "Like she doesn't have a _cell phone!_" he hissed the last sentence between clenched teeth.

Rukia was still staring at nothing, incredibly calm but also very scary. She turned on her heel and started to walk towards the door.

"Shit!" Kaien muttered and ran after her, he turned back and waved at them bidding goodnight.

Ichigo felt empty. He waited for this dinner all day long and now Rukia was going to some exhibition with _Kaien_. His face fell and he didn't want to eat anything. His stomach hurt and he felt dizzy. He took his glass of water and gulped it down. He heard Rangiku telling them to order something cheerfully but he saw her face too. That was enough for him. Her friends felt the same thing with him, so nothing was wrong with him, right? Those feelings were perfectly normal!

_Who am I kidding!? I just wanted to jump on that bastard and kill him right there! How dare he took Rukia away from him!_ _Who does he think he is!? _He thought. Then he saw Urahara Kisuke coming towards them happily.

"Oi, Kurosaki-kun, what are you doing in here?" he asked cheerfully but he stopped after he saw the deep, unpleasant scowl on his face.

"As you can see I'm going to have dinner with my friends, Urahara-san." He said, gritting his teeth.

"Oh, but there is someone abseeeeent!" he said in a singsong voice. Ichigo gripped the ends of the table painfully, his knuckles were turning white. Urahara saw that and felt that something was terribly wrong.

"Well she has gone to some exhibition in the national museum with Kaien." Matsumoto answered. Everyone saw the shock passing Urahara's face and then they heard him whispering:

"Shit!"

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**A/N**: what do you think? why would Urahara swear like that? Any guesses? opinions? Let me know what you think and don't forget to review! yay!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** the last time I checked my name was not anything closer to Kubo Tite. He owns it, I'm just as girl with a PC and 10 fingers.

**A/N:** long chapter…I hope you will like it! Sorry for the mistakes, I don't have a beta reader and I know its difficult for some of you but thanks for reading, even under these circumstances. Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews…But cookies go for the reviewers _takes out her cookie jar-_

_Doll in the Doll's house or Damsel in Distress?_

Urahara flipped open his cell phone and dialed a number. He was very pale, everyone noticed. He was wearing a white shirt with a dark grey jacket and jeans. He was a handsome man; most of the girls thought about him like that; including Matsumoto, Nanao and Rukia. He had his own way of doing things and even though he looked carefree or free spirited, he had his tense and serious moments, which made him look absolutely handsome. Other than that, he usually looked like a middle-aged pervert with strange sense of humor. Not to mention he introduced himself as a _handsome, perverted businessman._

"Abort the mission! I repeat abort the mission!" he said.

"Why the hell are you screaming at my ear, Kisuke?" A voice came behind him. He turned to see Yoruichi standing in front of him with a frown on her face.

"Well I got excited and …Forget it!" he smiled widely, Yoruichi was still frowning.

They saw Soi-Fong coming towards them, literally running. She was out of breath but she stopped and put her hand on Urahara's shoulder.

"So?" she asked, panting.

"Do you want me tell it openly or do you want me tell after we settled?" Urahara asked.

"Where the hell is Kuchiki!?" she asked suddenly, looking at the table. Ichigo swore she looked freaked out for a second.

"That's what exactly he is talking about Soi-Fong." Yoruichi said, crossing her arms on her chest.

"Wha-? But…" he face fell "Can't Retsu-Chan does something normally?" she asked to herself, rather loudly.

"By any chance, have you forgotten to tell her to give the tickets when they are NOT at school?" Yoruichi asked her friend.

"No I exactly told her what you told me!" she opposed. Unohana Retsu couldn't choose a better moment to step in.

"Good evening everyone." She greeted everyone with a soft smile on her face. Everyone greeted her back, Risa was a little louder than anyone.

"Where is Rukia-Chan?" she asked softly.

"She said that they were going to the exhibition in the national museum." Hisagi answered.

"Well…actually it's what Kaien said, rather than Rukia…she was pretty pissed off and moody." Matsumoto added. The crowd in front of them started to get loud; everyone was talking at the same time and telling their opinions. Unohana waited until they finished their talk. She kept silent for a few seconds and then smiled warmly. Yoruichi's left eye twitched, Soi-Fong gasped. Urahara was clueless like the rest of them.

"Oi, What's in your mind, woman?" Yoruichi asked with a wicked smile on her face.

"Well…Its practically impossible for them to go there tonight" she started, "you see, the tickets are not for tonight's opening but for tomorrow's exhibition." She was still smiling. Soi-Fong jumped on her and Yoruichi said 'YES' pretty loudly.

"So?" Urahara asked.

"Well…Rukia have to go alone tomorrow because it's the paperwork day. I'm sure that will give her time on her own to ease her mind, she is rather upset for the last few days." She said kindly and calmly.

"But you gave her two tickets, Unohana-sensei!!" Risa talked from the left side of the table.

"Well, they gave it in pairs. I was going take Byakuya-sama but he is out on a business trip so I gave my tickets to Rukia. I know she loves those exhibitions." Unohana explained. There were Ohs and Ahs around the table, but only one person was wearing the same wicked smile with Yoruichi.

"Well you could have told me, and I would take care of that." Matsumoto said from the right side of the table. They were all looking at her and she was looking directly at Yoruichi.

"Then it's yours from now on, welcome to the team." She said smiling, but not wickedly.

"Good, it was pretty boring working on my own!" she cheered, clapping her hands.

"I'm sure they will come back in an hour." Unohana said, "Lets go and have our own table, leave the kids alone so that they can talk." Most of them blushed and some (Hitsugaya to be more specific) muttered some curses under his breath, but only Hinamori heard him.

They turned and walked away from them to find themselves a table. As soon as they were away, Renji turned towards Rangiku:

"Care to explain what is going on?" he asked, irritated.

"Well, you will see soon." She explained dismissively.

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Rukia was furious and she was planning to kill someone. Particularly a person with black hair, pale skin and a cocky grin on his face. Said person was standing next to her in the line which was in front of the museum. They have been waiting for the last half an hour for their time to come. And there were 3 people left in front of them, but there was a huge line continuing behind them. After 5 minutes, it was their turn.

"Well excuse me Miss but these tickets are not for today's opening, they are for tomorrow's." The guard said calmly with a smile on his face.

Kaien's face fell, but Rukia was shocked. _What the hell!?_ Unohana gave her two tickets, which meant that there has to be another person to come with her. But tomorrow was bastard Kaien's paperwork day. Who the hell she was supposed to go with? _Ichigo? _Her perverted mind offered. She shook her head to clear the thought, she was still angry with the said orange haired bastard and there was no way in hell she would go out with him, _again._

"Oh, sorry. I guess we didn't check the date carefully." She said. Her voice was a little bit more cheerful than she wanted. Why the hell she was feeling cheerful so suddenly!?

Oh, she knew it. It was because she could go to her friends and have a nice evening away from that annoying bastard _still_ standing next to her. _You mean an evening with Ichigo? _That perverted part was still talking. _No I don't want that bastard close to me either!! _She screamed in her mind. _Liar! Liar! liar! Liar! _that stupid sound started with a singsong voice. _SHUT THE FUCK UP!!_ She screamed, this time it stopped. She grinned evilly.

They walked away from the line, her arms crossed over her chest and his hands in his pocket.

"So…You know I cannot come with you tomorrow." Kaien said. For the first time Rukia caught a glimpse of sadness in his voice. Was it that important for him? He was really impossible to read sometimes.

"Yeah…I will go on my own, or ask Shuuhei. Don't worry." She said.

"Its not that I'm worried…Its just…I really wanted to see this with _you_, you know." He said, his head bent down, looking for something on the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets. He looked dejected.

"Maybe Unohana-sensei will let you for one day." She said, but it didn't hold the hopeful tone that Kaien was expecting. What the hell was wrong with Rukia? She was always happy to be with him, and she always tried to find a way for him to be with her? So what was wrong this time?

Kaien realized that something was amiss. He didn't want to blame that orange haired guy with holier-than-thou attitude. He really didn't like the boy. Somehow, he felt threatened by his presence and Shiba Kaien was not the one to be threatened!

But he couldn't shake the feeling that she was happy because she was turning back to her friends. She really drove fast and pretty dangerously to reach them, before they came here. She didn't want to call, but instead she drove and went to the restaurant. He was really angry with her for doing that but it was not because she was trying to go there but because she _wanted_ to be there instead of wanting to be here with him. That broke his heart. Somehow it was along time since he felt something like that. And he realized that it was not a feeling he wanted to remember.

They walked down the sidewalk towards her car in complete silence. She drove him home and he decided that he didn't want to know where she was planning to go.

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She was torn between joining her friends and going back to home. A piece of her wanted to be there with them but a piece of her didn't want to see Kurosaki Ichigo. She was tired and upset.

But somehow after driving half an hour she found herself in front of 8th bantai. She parked her car, took a deep breath and started to walk towards the restaurant.

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Ichigo was feeling happy and he knew the reasons of that sudden change in mood. 1) Rukia was going to turn back, and 2) She was **not** going to that exhibition with Kaien tomorrow night. He felt his heart skipping a beat even with the thought of that.

They ate their meals chatting and laughing, and now everyone was dancing, on the dance floor in front of the jazz band playing oldies. That was the exact reason why his right arm was wrapped around Matsumoto Rangiku's waist and his left hand was holding her right one. It was a good feeling to have a beautiful woman in your arms, but he wished it would be someone different. Maybe someone with long raven-hair and violet eyes.

"You know, you should ask her if you can come to that exhibition with her tomorrow night." Rangiku said matter-of-factly, as if she read his thought. She saw his shocked expression, but it disappeared in few seconds.

"Nah, she probably has someone to go with. I'm sure Kaien can persuade Unohana-san to let him go."

"Are you afraid of Kaien?" she asked suddenly.

"Wha-?No of course I'm not! Why would I be!?" he asked, panicking and blushing.

"Well because he is handsome, cute, funny, talented and smart. All in all, he is a sweet talker, sugar coated candyman. So you must at least threatened by his presence." She smiled wickedly. Ichigo didn't like the expression on her face. He knew what that bastard was! He just didn't want to hear it form another _female_. Because probably Rukia was thinking the same things about him.

"No, there is no reason for me to be threatened form his presence. He ccould be a womanizer and I couldn't care less." He said, his frown was getting deeper with every passing minute.

"Denial is not your strongest subject, boy." She smiled knowingly.

"First of all I'm not a boy and second of all I do not deny."

"I'm going to call you _boy_ until you be a man and kiss her off her feet and you will be denying until you tell her that you are attracted to her and admit that you want to skin Kaien alive." Rangiku was sure she has never seen anything redder than Ichigo at the moment.

"She caught me off guard that day." He answered shyly.

"You really don't have any experience with relationships, do you?" she asked.

"That's none of your business!" he snapped at her.

"I'm trying to help Ichigo, either you listen to me carefully or you will continue doing what you are doing which will, I guarantee, end up with her hating you with her guts." Ichigo gulped and sighed with defeat.

"Ok, I know I have done something wrong, but I was willing to make it right until that Kaien came and took her away."

"The night is still not over. And we know she will come back."

"Really? How do you know? Are you sure she is not having fun with Kaien in somewhere?" he asked, a little annoyed, Matsumoto realized.

"I know it, because she entered through that door, _alone,_ few minutes ago." She stated. Ichigo turned a little faster than he planned so they were nearly falling flat face on the floor. He saw her sitting on their table chatting with Risa like nothing has happened. _Of course nothing has happened idiot! You were the only one who was affected by that!_ The voice claimed. He shook his head and told it to disappear.

"…not that I mind." He heard Rukia telling something to Risa. He walked towards them leaving a smiling Matsumoto with a smirking Hisagi on the dance floor. He really didn't like the fact that he had to act on his feelings so publicly. But he had no choice.

"So you are back, huh?" he asked sitting opposite to her. She looked at him with a frown on her face.

"So it seems." She said coolly.

"Well I'm going to go and have Renji's balls for staring at Matsumoto-san too long. Now if you will excuse me." Risa said and left them alone.

"Has your mood improved?" he asked, trying to make her talk.

"No actually, but it will change as soon as I eat something." She said and waved her hand to the waitress.

"Hi, Kuchiki-san!" she greeted her, "how can I help you tonight?" she asked.

"Well I want a rosé beef sandwich with French fries and Ice tea and I want chocolate truffle cake after that." She answered smiling. The waitress wrote them down and left the couple alone.

"I'm glad you could make it here. I actually came here to see you." Ichigo admitted.

"Really? Somehow the way you act _screams_ the opposite."

"I have been busy for the last three days, I couldn't call you, but you were on my mind." He said smiling. It was getting easier to tell her what he was thinking. But he didn't know why he felt so relaxed when he was talking to her. He usually was not good with the words and he never liked to explain himself.

"Wow, I have never seen someone who can lie that easily and comfortably." She said smiling. Ichigo was speechless, and then she continued calmly, "Yoruichi-san said that you have finished three chapters in three days, that's a huge thing. And you don't have to lie about that, I know that feeling. When you are writing, the outer world does not exist. You don't know your friends, you don't know your family. It's all about that world you have created there. Those characters are your friends, your family and who knows maybe your lover. Those feelings are the real ones for that moment. So…you haven't thought about me, even for one second, for the last three days…But let's be optimistic and say that you have been thinking about me since this morning." She smiled warmly.

Ichigo didn't know how to respond. He was surprised and scared at the same time. He was surprised because he didn't know that someone could describe that feeling with words. He was scared because the thought of someone who understands and knows you that well was creepy. He didn't know how to respond, he really didn't know.

"I didn't know you were writing." He said, smiling.

"I don't." she said simply, got up and stood in front of Ichigo. Ichigo looked at her with questioning eyes. She smiled, "Let's dance Kurosaki, I have waited for you to ask me that night and I'm tired of waiting." Ichigo took her hand and she led him to the dance floor. Thank god, it was not a slow song!

They danced together, they switched partners and they danced together again. Rukia ate her sandwich and they danced again.

When they left the restaurant it was past midnight. Ichigo didn't have a car, _again._

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"Ok, who is going to drive Ichigo home?" Rukia asked to the crowd in front of her.

"Well Hisagi is going to drop me." Matsumoto said.

"I'm going to drop Renji and he lives in the opposite direction of Ichigo." Risa stated. Ichigo blushed, he didn't like the idea of Rukia knowing that he used to have a _relationship_ with that pervert and that she knew his house. He frowned.

"Well I'm going to drop Inoue-san and Ishida-kun." Chad answered. They all looked over Hinamori and Hitsugaya who were blushing furiously.

"I-I'm taking Hinamori home." He said, blushing.

"So it seems Kurosaki is mine…I hope you learned how to form the words 'Good night, thanks for dropping' in last three days or I will kick your sorry ass out of my car so bad that you will feel pain for the next few days." She said with a cocky grin.

"Well I remembered but _someone_ couldn't wait until my brain started to work _again_, dope!" she shrugged and started to walk, leaving others. Ichigo ran after her.

"Ok Shuuhei, you take Renji and Risa. I will drop Nanao, Shiro-chan and Momo." Matsumoto winked at Hisagi.

"You are a wicked woman Ran-Chan. I'm glad I'm on your side." He said and led others to his car. She liked being a part of the bigger plan. She was going to support Soi-Fong, Yoruichi and Unohana on this. She was so damn ready to do some _business_.

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The way back home was very quite. Neither Ichigo nor Rukia talked. They simply enjoyed each other's presence. Of course until Ichigo opened his mouth.

"Look Rukia…I guess I owe you an explanation." He started.

"No you don't Ichigo, I can be impulsive sometimes. Don't worry about it…actually it was stupid for me to blame you for that." She cut him off.

"I'm not worried, but I don't think you need to blame yourself about my rudeness." He sighed and turned towards her, "I'm not used to these kinds of things. I can't read signs and I don't know how to…" he sighed again. He couldn't finish his sentence, he didn't want to. He liked talking to her and he liked telling her things about himself but there were things he couldn't tell right _now_.

"It's ok Ichigo, I don't expect anything from you." She said, her eyes on the road. She had a small smile on her face.

"How can you not? Everybody expects something from someone."

"No, I don't. Because I'm tired of being heart broken over the things I _expect_. You are right, everybody expect something but there are only few people who can have those expectations met. I am not one of them, and I have never been since the day I born. I accepted it and now I'm living with no expectations." Ichigo couldn't do anything more than looking at her.

She was like a character from a story between a fairy tale and a fiction novel. She was mysterious and magical. She was unpredicted but not in a scary way. She was awaking some sort of curiosity in you and dragging you to her world. She was like those characters who Charles Dickens would like to write about, the one who had some hidden secret in her past, a mysterious life. Or the adventures of someone who had no luck with life, no hopes and dreams but tries to make the most of it.

She sounded so fragile and hopeless. Ichigo desperately wanted to know what made her lost all her faith. He wanted to know how her life was. He wanted to be a part of it. No expectations meant no hopes, no dreams. He wanted to change the life that held no meaning, no hopes for her. He wanted to be her dream.

"Dreams are the product of expectations. Don't you dream?" he asked.

"I used to. But I don't think this world is easy or understanding enough to let you live them. But of course you are a writer, especially a fiction writer. That means you have one hell of good imagination so you can dream things that nobody can." Ichigo understood that she wanted to change the subject, so he did.

"Well what can I say, I dream, I test my dreams against my beliefs, I dare to take risks, and I execute my vision to make those dreams come true." He answered.

"Walt Disney! Nice, very nice." She smiled "I like to think of you as a writer. I like the thought of you being capable of giving me a new world to live in."

"So how would you like me to portray you in that world?" he asked.

"You can't! I'm too real for that." she said heatedly.

"What if I tell you that you are better than anyone I have written, would you let me portray you?" he asked.

"Ok, but with one condition. I want to be something so much worthier than the doll in the doll's house." she said, smirking.

"Wow, Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend. You are better than me Rukia." He said. He really liked to play that game with her. She reminded his mother so much. She used to play quotation games with him when he was a small kid. He nodded and then added "Of course. But Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee. And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me."

"Robert Frost, In the Clearing…now hop off, so I can go home and sleep. I have school tomorrow." She said, parking her car for few minutes.

"I always have felt strange when we came home, To the dark house after so long an absence,  
And the key rattled loudly into place, Seemed to warn someone to be getting out, At one door as we entered at another." He said and opened the door. Then he suddenly stopped and turned towards her, "I've heard that you have an extra ticket for tomorrow's exhibition. I would love to come, of course if you want me to." He offered and started to wait for her answer with his hand on the door.

"Again Robert Frost, the Fear and about the exhibition part…Hmmm…Let me think!" she said tapping her finger to her chin. She was looking at him from the corner of her eye, she said that on purpose the piss him off.

Ichigo move forward, gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek and said:

"I will pick you up from the club at 7:30. If I'm not mistaken it starts at 8:30 so we don't need to hurry." He smiled, "Oh, and thanks for the dances and dropping me." He got out and waved at her, flashing a huge toothy smile.

Rukia realized that she loved that smile and she loved the way he did things. Sometimes it was good that someone was deciding for you, instead of asking what you thought and what you said. She also loved the way he talked. Her father used to talk her like that. He usually quoted Dahl or Dickens because she was small. She always expected him to use Shakespeare, Eliot or Frost when she was old enough, but that never came.

She sighed and started the engine. The way home was silent, she didn't turn on the radio or CD player. She just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Her thoughts about Ichigo, her thoughts about life and expectancies. Her thoughts about her dreams and hopes.

She realized that he was right, dreams were the product of expectations, and expectations created hope. Was there really no hope for her? Then what was that sudden feeling of expectancy and daydreams coming over her for the last few days? Was Ichigo something or someone she expected? Was he her dream, or dare she say hope?

Yes, that was the only explanation of her heartbreak over Ichigo's 'rejection'. She nearly forgot how it felt that it took her 3 days to give a name to that feeling. It was the shatter of dreams. It was the expectations falling short. It was losing hope. But now she felt good. Really good. She could start to live for tomorrow, dream for the day after tomorrow and hope for the next week.

She reached her flat, opened her door and was greeted by Chappy. She felt happy, really happy and it was for the first time in a very long time. She turned and locked her door, took Chappy by the collar and led him to her room. Just she was about to undress her phone rang. It was an unknown number, she flipped open it.

"Moshi, moshi." She answered her phone with hesitation.

"_Oi, I just wanted to check if you've arrived and safe."_ Ichigo was on the other side of the phone, _"you know, it's late for a Doll in the Doll's house to be outside alone at night."_ He said. She could almost hear him smirking.

"Why, thank you, I'm standing in the middle of my room with my dog salivating on my feet and trying to chew my socks so I feel more like a damsel in distress right now, rather than a Doll." She said.

He laughed on the other side, she loved the way he laughed. It was deep and kinda unique. More like an unexpected snowfall in March.

"If I were you I wouldn't laugh when I'm in public, that might gain you more fans to carry you to the upper ranks in hottest top 20 of Japan." she joked. There was a silence. She wished to see his face right now.

"_If you tell anyone that I'm capable of laughing, I will feed Chappy with your guts."_ He said.

"Hmmm…I will think about it. Now I have to sleep, I have school tomorrow, you know."

"_Yeah…goodnight…I don't remember the last time I enjoyed that much even though it was n heart wrenching experience to watch Kaien taking you away."_ He sighed, _"Goodnight Rukia, and try to dream for me, trust me it helps a lot."_ He added.

"Goodnight Ichigo, see you tomorrow."

"_It's already tomorrow dope, so see you in few hours."_ Oh, how she could see his cocky grin, she wanted to reach and slap him.

"Ok, smart ass go away and leave me alone." She said.

"_No you go first!"_ he insisted and heard the phone clicking but not before giving an exhausted sigh.

He smiled to himself, today was better than yesterday and he hoped tomorrow was going to be better than today. Now he had something to dream, something to wait for. What more could he ask for?

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**A/N:** so how was it? Did you like it? I know it develops very slowly but I hate when they jump on each other from the beginning :(

Next Chapter: more IchixRuki moments are about to come! Ichigo is planning a surprise. That will touch certain someone's nerves. We are about meet my favorite couple!! Rabbit entertainment proudly presents -_drum rolls- _ladies and gentlemen, it's Shinji and Hiyori!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** it's not mine as you all know!

**A/N:** here is your 8th chapter. Originally it was longer but I had to divide it because its 5267 words(yup, the divided version). So you have to wait for the next chapter. Am I evil or not!?  
Don't forget to review, I'm reading every one of them and enjoying. Most of them give me the motivation I need so desperately. So thanks for everything! and sorry for the grammar mistakes and so, thanks for tolerating that too.

_We got a show for you. Guaranteed brand new. Here come the Muppets tonight!_

Ichigo woke up with a smile on his face. He had a wonderful night and saw a pretty good dream for his standards. So he felt sickeningly happy. He looked at his clock on his nightstand. It was 11 a.m. Wow he really slept well!

He kicked his blanket and got out of his bed. He went down stairs and turned on his TV. He started watching a morning show which was awfully boring. So he sat down on his desk and looked at his typewriter lovingly. His mother's gift for his 15th birthday, that was their last birthday together. She gave that to him because she wanted him to make his dreams come true. She said she bought that from an auction but he didn't know whose that was. It was old but perfect. It had its own spirit, he believed and it was showing him guidance.

He left his desk and his typewriter. He didn't have anything to write. Actually, he has done 3 months worth writing in 3 days. So he could have more time with Rukia now, right? _Like she has nothing better to do than waiting for you to come!_ That traitorous voice pointed out. He sighed and thought about their night together. It was wonderful, he had a lot of fun while dancing (even though he didn't like it) and he liked, no loved talking to her. He couldn't wait for tonight.

After 15 minutes of daydreaming for tonight's activities he took his newspaper and started to read. Unconsciously he opened that page in which that stupid anonymous writer had a column. He started to read.

_Men Who Never Grow Up_ was the title. He continued to read and wasn't impressed at all. She or maybe he was talking about the boyish attitudes of men and complain about the way they treat women. He sighed and turned the sports page to lighten his mood. But it was useless because he wasn't following any of them. So he passed to politics. After a half an hour reading, he realized that he couldn't focus on anything.

He checked the grandfather clock in his 'living room', it was 12 p.m. Damn but the time was running really slow! He still had seven and a half hours to see Rukia. But he could pay an early visit couldn't he? He could drop by her school and take her. They would grab something to eat and change their clothes. That was a good idea but he didn't know when her classes were over. So he decided to drop early…like three p.m? Yes that was good. So he had to get out at 2 p.m, which meant that he had two hours to prepare. YES! That was a great idea and he was a fucking genius, why couldn't he think about that earlier?

So he went upstairs, took a long bath and started to dress.

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Rukia woke up with a smile on her face. She was feeling sickeningly happy today. This was effecting her whole day. Their 3rd class for today was about to begin and she didn't know how the other two passed.

She was counting down the minutes for her class to end so that she could have something to eat with her friends. After that there was only two classes left for the day. Then…she felt excited. It felt good to fall in love again. Yes, she was definitely falling for him. She knew the feeling, she recognized it days ago, and she could smell it coming from miles away.

1:45 and in fifteen minutes this torture was going to end. Now fourteen minutes. She looked around her, saw Shinji being abused by Hiyori under the desk. She was probably hitting him, or stepping on his foot. She saw tears forming in his eyes and she smiled. They were the greatest couple ever! Of course if you could call them a couple.

Suddenly she felt someone sitting down next to her. She turned to her left and saw Kaien smirking at her.

"What?" she asked, really annoyed.

"Nothing! In twelve minutes you will be free, let's have lunch together." He said.

"Nah, I don't know. I was planning to hang with Shinji."

"Yeah…like Hiyori will let him." He said smugly.

"You will never understand Kaien." She shook her head, rubbed her temples.

"You can always ask them to join us." He offered. Her eyes were sparkling. Something was very different today. He wanted to know the reason of this change but he was too afraid to ask. What if she told him that the reason was another boy/man? He sighed. He was a coward and that was his eventual fate with her. She was never going to be his, because he was too damn stubborn to admit his feelings towards anyone. Therefore, Rukia was not a special case in this.

"Ok…I will ask." She took out a paper and scribed something on it, made it a ball and threw it at Shinji. Bull's eye!

Shinji opened the paper and read it, passed it to Hiyori. They turned and smiled at her, nodding. Soon they were out of the class heading towards the food cord, which was near to the little shopping area in the campus.

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Ichigo arrived at her school at 3:15. He was nervous and excited. He saw some girls staring at him too intently on his way to this part of the campus.

Finding here was easy; it seemed that everyone knew who Shiba Kaien was. He sighed, he really didn't want to see the man but there was no chance in hell he would be away from Rukia so he had to control himself for at least few hours.

"Hey is that Kurosaki Ichigo!?" he heard a girl's voice, he didn't look back. The last thing he wanted was to be recognized by these chits. He heard the rest of the group sighing. He shook his head. They were never changing, every goddamn girl was the same.

Now everyone was looking at him weirdly as he passed through the corridors. Nothing was wrong with his outfit. He was wearing his baggy jeans with a black shirt, his old black converse all stars and his ray-ban sunglasses. Yeah, he looked like a normal student, but not every student was on the cover of _few_ popular magazines, he corrected himself. He hated it with his guts but he couldn't do anything about it. Urahara kept saying that 'Picasso would do better if he had a little bit more publicity!' He sighed and continued to walk until he heard his nightmare calling his name.

"Oi, Kurosaki!" she yelled from the other side of the corridor. He slowly turned and looked at the bane of his existence.

"Thanks for letting everyone know Risa." He said, frowning. She walked towards him and stand in front of him only to hit him in the head.

_SMACK!_

"What was that for, bitch?" he shouted.

"You are already _well_ known dumbass, I was just going to say if you are looking for _someone_, she is having lunch with her friends." She said calmly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Damn it woman! Did you really have to do that!?" he rubbed his temples, an inescapable headache was about to start. While he was rubbing his temples he heard girls gasping. _Oh no here we go again, _he thought. But before he could do anything he heard girls yelling together something like "Hi, Kaien-dono!!". Jeez, he would give his right arm to avoid that moment.

"Oi, Kurosaki, what the hell are you doing in here!?" Kaien asked, irritated and angry, Ichigo realized.

"What do you think?" he asked frowning. They saw a small blonde girl running towards them.

"Oi, Risa you should see that! Rukia stole Shinji's digital cam and I guess there is something in it that he doesn't want me to see!" little blonde girl said with a wicked smile on her face,

"Oh, I'm so going to have his balls." So that was Hiyori, he recognized. Renji's middle-school crush. He realized it as soon as he heard balls and having in the same sentence. He knew she was _a bit_ vicious and abusive even for Renji's standards.

"Hiyori, meet Kurosaki Ichigo." Risa said and turned towards Ichigo. The girl looked at him with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, huh?...Well, I'm sure your reason for being here is running in circles around the school with my pissed off, psycho boyfriend on her heels." She grinned evilly and looked at Kaien.

"What?" he asked irritated.

"Nothing Kaien-_dono_. It seems your time is up!" she said still smiling. Ichigo saw Kaien's left eye twitching dangerously.

They heard a scream down the corridor and saw a girl running (really fast) towards them. They heard her yelling from the end of the corridor:

"Kaien move so that poor girls can move, or else I'm going to crush into someone very badly!!" yup, That was Rukia.

"Jeez, she is very hyper today." Kaien said.

"Yeah there is nothing a goodnight sleep can't do." Risa smiled, looking at Ichigo meaningfully. She saw his eyes widening, then she added "or love." She smirked and looked at Kaien, who was looking at her pretty dangerously.

"It's not me this time!" Kaien shouted back at Rukia. But she was closer than before and she would probably crush into someone. So he stepped on her way and grabbed a running Rukia by the waist and stopped Shinji with a quirk of his eyebrow. Said guy was panting and Rukia was breathless too.

"Tell her to give me back my cam!" he said. Kaien took the cam from Rukia's hand and turned it over. He was still holding Rukia and her feet were off the ground.

"So what, it's not that important-.." he was cut of by something he saw. His eyes went wide, "phewww, man you are so dead!" Kaien said, slapping Shinji's hand "But if you touch her, I will fail you!" he said smirking smugly.

"Oh, fuck off!" Shinji said. and smacked Rukia in the head. Ichigo found this scene very amusing. He wished he had a school like that but he wasn't the one to run after a girl around the whole school just to get a cam. He sneaked a look at the pics, which Kaien was looking. Ok, He would run especially after something like that!

"Rukia-Chan you have a visitor!" Risa said, pushing her glasses up.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Yeah…Kurosaki is here and he would be the reason if you were hurt. He made himself a fan club in 10 minutes." She struggled in his arms but when he didn't let go of her, she bit his shoulder.

"Oi, you don't need to go wild on me!" he screamed at her.

"And you don't need to grab me like I'm some sort of fluffy little 'terrier'!!" she shouted back. She fixed her t-shirt and hair then she turned towards Ichigo with a sweet smile on her face.

"H, Ichigo." She waved at him. Ichigo waved back with his left hand, his right one was still in his pocket, and then scratched the back of his head.

"I didn't know you were that shy, Ichigo." Risa was smiling next to him. He frowned.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of having you at my school?" Rukia asked. Ichigo thought it was obvious but unfortunately girls liked to hear _things_, rather than interpret the meaning out of it.

"Nah, I didn't have anything to do and I decided to pay a visit." he said, stuffing his other hand into his pocket.

"I have two more classes left but I guess it won't be a problem." She grabbed his hand, "come! We are late." Before Ichigo could say anything he found himself seated next to Rukia in the huge lecture room.

Their professor came and started to talk about what they were going to do today. He took some slides out and turned towards his student. But before he said anything, he recognized Ichigo.

"Well, Well. What have we here?" he said. Rukia whispered in his ear that he was a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan and that question was actually quoted from Mr. OggieBoogie. He paled and then blushed.

"Hi…" he managed to say, gulping.

"Welcome to my class kid, its good to have someone who understands from words!" he cheered suddenly. This time Rukia whispered in his ear that he was actually the funniest person ever alive. This whispering thing was not good, it was too distracting to have Rukia's warm breath surging into your ear, tickling your sensitive skin and arousing you.

"Thank you." He said shyly.

"Come on Ichigo you can do better than that…Look girls are waiting for you to say something!" Rukia cheered next to him suddenly.

"Oh, Rukia-Chan, leave the boy alone. I'm sure he is irritated enough. Not everyone is like Kaien you know." The whole class started to laugh. Kaien was blushing and frowning at the same time. "Come, come Kaien you now I didn't mean _that_." The class laughed harder as if it was possible. He really was a funny man, Ichigo realized.

"Nah, its just I don't believe I deserve it, that's all." He scratched the back of his head. Rukia realized that it was a reflex when he was embarrassed. Then something wicked came to her mind. She held her pen like a microphone and started to talk:

"Well my dear audience today's hot topic is Japan's Charles Dickens, Kurosaki Ichigo!! From what I've heard, from a reliable resource, Kurosaki Ichigo is in the hottest top 10 list, from now on!" while Rukia was talking he heard Shinji joining her from two seats below.

"Well you can say that Rukia-Chan but do we know him that well?" he was holding his pen like a microphone too.

"No worries my dear friend Shinji, we have a special guest for you today! It's Risa! Please welcome her." Ichigo heard the rest of the class cheering while Risa was bowing and greeting them. It was crazy! They were like having a live show. Especially Rukia and Shinji animatedly hosting it. He loved it.

"So here we have Yadoumaru Risa, she is going to help us to have an insight about our beloved Kurosaki!" Rukia said.

"Welcome to our show Risa!" Shinji cheered only to be hit by a sandal on his head. Probably from that freak he affectionately called girlfriend.

"So Risa we have sexy, we have smart, we have cool, we have proud, we have helpfullast year he was photographed while he was helping an old lady passing the other side of the street in our list." Rukia took a paper out and started scribed something on it, "and now I'm adding humble which puts him in the top 10! Is there something you would like to add?" she asked winking at Risa. Ichigo realized that he wasn't going to like the meaning of that wink.

"First of all thanks for asking me here." she waved towards the _audience_ who was cheering madly. "I would like to say…he is a bad ass." There were Ohs and Ahs, Shinji acted like he was going to faint. Ichigo couldn't help but smiled. Actually he was dying to laugh his ass out but he couldn't laugh in public!

"And he is tough and…well dare I say dangerous." That gained him more gasps from the girls in the front row. He nodded and smiled. Shinji threw himself to the floor this time.

"Are you sure Risa because they will definitely carry him to the top 5!"Rukia said with a different tone in her voice. She was acting pretty well. Risa cheered.

"Yes, yes. He definitely deserves top 5." She said after that.

"Well then, we have one thing left to reach the ultimate three." Rukia said with a mischievous smile on her face, looking over Ichigo. "You know we need to know _something_ to place him in the top 3." She added.

"Are you sure Rukia-Chan? Can you handle this?" Shinji asked putting his hand on his heart and made like it was beating fast. At the same time there was the voice of drum rolls coming from somewhere he couldn't see.

"Sure she can handle, she is a big girl!" Risa said., "Well..." she stopped and sighed, "what can I say he is a beast." Risa finished, Shinji made claws and 'hrrr'ed. The whole class was on the floor laughing their asses out. Girls acting like they were fainting.

"That's it ladies and gentlemen. Kurosaki Ichigo, one of the hottest guys in top 3. Its all yours!" she put her hand up in the air. Waved at Shinji.

"But unfortunately we came to the end of today's show!" he shouted and turned his ipod on. _So that was the source of the drum rolls_, Ichigo thought Then suddenly the theme song of Muppet show started to play. Rukia was next to Shinji who were helping her on the desk. They started to dance on the desk and whole class was dancing with them. Their professor was laughing hard.

_It's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights._

_It's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight._

_It's time to put on makeup. It's time to dress up right._

_It's time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight._

Rukia was dancing like she had a cane in her hand, swinging it right and left while tap dancing. Shinji on the other hand was dancing with a hat in his hands, doing the same things with Rukia. Suddenly he turned towards Rukia and sang:

_Why do we always come here?_ Rukia answered with singing: _I guess we'll never know._

Then Shinji continued: _It's like a kind of torture to have to watch the show._

_And now let's get things started. Why don't you get things started?_

_It's time to get things started_

_On the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational_

_This is what we call the Muppet Show!_

They continued tap dancing. Shinji threw his hat and Rukia threw her imaginary cane at the end of the song.

"We supposed to do that at the beginning," Shinji stated matter-of-factly.

"It doesn't matter. I didn't plan to do this." Rukia smiled. Everyone was laughing and clapping their hands happily.

It was over in 10 minutes and everyone was back at their seats.

"Well I didn't know your classes were so funny." Ichigo said.

"Well you should have seen the design class last Halloween." said someone from the front row, "Hirako-kun and Kuchiki-san put out the Halloween version of Charlie and the chocolate factory and it was a huge classroom, bigger than this place with all the costumes and stuff!" he added.

Rukia turned towards Shinji and said:

"Everything in this room is edible. Even I'm edible. But that is called cannibalism, my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies." She acted and sounded like Willie Wonka, fixing her imaginary hat; and Shinji was rubbing his hands together then he said, "but not tonight, muwhahahahaha!" he was playing Augustus Gloop, Ichigo realized. Everyone was laughing hard again. Probably they remembered a scene.

After that they continued the lesson from where they left and it was over before he could realize what happened.

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They were out in the corridor after the lesson. Ichigo realized he never had such funny school memories. He always had that tough guy image which was replaced by something later. Normally he didn't like being a part of those kinds of activities but Rukia was something different. She made him want to be a part of whatever she was doing. He wanted to know everything that she liked and enjoyed, so that he could make her happy.

"So are you going to tell me why you are really here?" she asked smiling sweetly.

"Of course…I thought maybe we can grab a bite before we go to that exhibition." He offered coolly.

"Really? I would really liked that." She jumped and smiled again while throwing her backpack on her back "But you are going to choose the place this time." she said.

"No problem. I already have someplace in my mind and I'm sure you are going to like it." He said and grabbed her hand.

"You know by this time tomorrow whole school will be gossiping about us." She said blushing and looking at their intertwined fingers.

"Nah, I couldn't care less…But if it will cause a problem to you." He loosened his hold but she grabbed it tightly.

"No at all!" she opposed, tightening her grip on his hand. Ichigo smiled at her and literally dragged her to his car. He was dying to be alone with her.

Kaien watched them from the corner of the corridor and he had noting to do to stop this from happening.

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"What? an Audi TT!?" Rukia looked at him.

"Yeah…is it that bad?" he asked.

"No it's just…cute" she said drawing her eyebrows closer. She frowned and then smiled. "No, it's perfect! It symbolizes your boyish side." She cheered. Ichigo rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Hop in woman or we will be late." He said, closing his door.

After a good 15 minutes ride, they were in front of a fancy looking restaurant. Its name was Quincy.

"Jeez, what kind of a name is that?" Rukia asked getting out of the car. She walked next to Ichigo.

"I have no idea, it's Ishida's and you know how weird he is." He said shrugging.

"Smartass! I bet it's something we have no idea, and can't find in ordinary books." Her hands were on her hips and she was looking at the door of the restaurant rather intently. Ichigo smiled to himself, she was the cutest thing he has ever seen in his whole life.

"Yeah…let's get in." he said and put his hand on the small of her back to guide her in.

When they were in, Rukia looked at every corner carefully, like she was trying to memorize the place. The waiter led them to a nice table and they sat. It was almost six o'clock, a little early for dinner but they could always eat something when they were out of the exhibition.

"Is that Orihime running towards the kitchen!?" Rukia asked, her eyes following a running Orihime.

"Yeah…She is the chef in here." he answered.

"Well Tatsuki always says that she has a weird taste."

"I know but somehow it turns out to be amazingly delicious." He smiled, "but whatever you do, just don't ask 'whats in it?', ok?"

"Alright, whatever you say" she agreed and turned her attention back to Ichigo.

"Today's show at class was the funniest thing I have ever seen." Ichigo claimed.

"Really? We weren't even in mood!" she started to talk animatedly, "We are better than that!" she claimed.

"I don't know, you have some sort of wicked talent and it seems that friend of yours has the same thing too."

"Shinji? Oh, yeah. He is the funniest person I have ever known…We have been friends since 6th grade…Ask Shuuhei, he knows Shinji pretty well." She said, but their conversation was interrupted by the waiter.

"Can I have your orders please?" he asked.

"Oh, I want Happy Crab!" she cheered, "whats in it?" she asked but she saw Ichigo holding his hand, signaling the waiter to shut up.

"You promised not to ask!" he reminded her, "Well I will have a…Crimson roll, whatever that is." He checked the kitchen door for any sign of his friend.

"One happy crab for the lady and a Crimson Roll for you." He wrote down "I know you don't wanna know whats in them but can I offer you a special wine next to your meal?"

"Ok, if you say it's good." Ichigo shrugged.

"Actually its Chef Inoue's special." Waiter said proudly. Ichigo and Rukia nodded towards the man and he left.

"I hope we won't die" Ichigo said. Rukia laughed at that.

"I'm sure we wont, if that was the case it wouldn't be that crowded. Its 6p.m and we sat on the only empty table. Its not even the official dinner time!" she said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah…Ever the observer!...So tell me more about your school and your classmates." Ichigo said.

"What's the sudden interest? Seriously how did you find me in that huge campus?"

"Well it was easy, to be honest. I only gave Kaien's name to the guard."

"Oh, he is very popular…especially with girls." She smirked. Ichigo thought it was the moment to ask her opinion about Kaien so he could sleep peacefully at night.

"Yeah…but he seems very fond of _you_." There was a slight jealousy in his voice but thanks to gods she didn't realize it.

"Nah, he is usually fond of every female with brains and look."

"That makes him rather picky, doesn't it?"

"I don't know. It's really hard to read him. One minute he acts like you are the only one in his whole world and the next he acts like he doesn't even know you." Oh, so the Kaien was a real heart breaker and probably Rukia's heart was somewhere in his long list. Ichigo felt more uneasy with that declaration. Was that supposed to mean that she cared about him or used to care about him? He hoped that _care_ was not anything close to 'being in love'.

"A real heartbreaker, huh?"

"Not more than you, I guess." She smiled. Ichigo thought she was joking.

"Are you joking?" he asked seriously.

"No…If the girls in front of the classroom door is any indicator, you have a pretty strong fan base too." Ichigo sweat dropped with this explanation. How was he supposed to tell her that.

"Ah…I…It's…It's not something I asked for. It came with the publicity and I only blame Urahara for that." He scratched the back of his head. Oh, so he was nervous and embarrassed. Really what kind of a guy he was? If he were Kaien, he would be proud of that fact.

"You don't need to be embarrassed Ichigo, its ok. And by the way I meant every word I said today." Ichigo mentally replayed the events of the day. Oh, that list of hers. What was that? Sexy, smart, cool, proud, _helpful_(for helping an old woman), and then came dangerous and _beast._ God, but that was the most embarrassing moment of his life. The last thing he wanted Rukia to hear was Risa describing him as a beast. Now we were not talking about a normal female with basic instincts but we were talking about a female prodigy, a very well known one, I might add. If _she_ was describing him as a beast, then…his train of thought cut off by a Rukia waving her hands in front of his eyes.

"Earth to Ichigo, Earth to Ichigo. Abort mission, you are needed on earth!" she smiled at him softly.

"Sorry, I was trying to remember what you have said." he claimed, blushing. Rukia found that blushing thing very cute. If she could make a guy like Kurosaki Ichigo blush she was really good.

"I'm sorry for involving Risa in that, but she is the only one who is capable of following our logic. I didn't mean to embarrass you." She blushed beautifully, looking at the table.

"It's Risa, she is usually like that." Ichigo answered.

"How long have you known her?"

"Since High school." Ichigo snapped at her with an icy tone and frowned. She saw his face twisting with something she didn't want to name. He didn't like where the conversation was going. He wanted to learn about Kaien, he didn't want his past to be dug up.

"Sorry I didn't mean to pry." She said, looking anywhere but Ichigo. Ichigo looked at her face for few seconds and realized that he was being a total jerk…again. He was prying too. But what was worst he didn't want her to do that. His expression softened but Rukia was still not looking at him.

"It's ok, you can ask." He said but she didn't answer. Ichigo waited for few minutes and then tried to continue, "we were i-.." but she cut him off.

"I really don't want to know Ichigo, its ok. As I said before I can be impulsive sometimes and ask and do stupid things." She said playing with her napkin.

"It wasn't stupid and you can ask."

"No I can't. First of all it's not my business and second you made it perfectly clear that it's not welcomed. So don't expect me to ask again or listen to your explanation for that matter. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable when you are with me." She said with a very serious tone, looking directly at him. That side of her was the scariest one for Ichigo. He was not used to people who understood him that well but also he was not used to being treated that openly. Somehow, it irritated him and thrilled him at the same time. Their dishes came few minutes later and the waiter poured the wine to their glasses.

"So before we were interrupted I was talking about Shinji…Well actually he is the one who tricked me into this photography thing. We used to take silly photos of each other when we were growing up. We have lots of albums for lots of events. And he started this with a birthday present from his dad. A special edition Leica MP Anthracite. I still remember that day vividly. The first photo we took is framed and still standing on our nightstands. Though he claims that Hiyori threatens his balls every time he looks at it." She smiled softly. Ichigo was listening carefully but he knew the whole atmosphere was changed. Damn his stupidity, he shouldn't act like that.

"He looks funny and kind but I can't say the same thing for his girlfriend." Ichigo claimed while cutting his Crimson roll, which awfully looked like something with a steak and red bean wrapped in something suspiciously like tortilla bread. But its taste was awesome, so he didn't complain.

"Hiyori might be a little aggressive towards men but she is one of a kind friend. And believe me it's pretty hard to find those kind of friends among girls." She was sipping her wine.

"How is your meal?"

"Awfully delicious but I don't wanna know whats in it, seriously there is everything but crab in it!" she took another bite and chewed. She was eating much more than any girl he has ever seen. Last night after eating a huge sandwich, she also ate a chocolate truffle cake and didn't even felt any sickness. She sure was eating a lot for her size.

They ate their dinner in peace and talked about this and that, nothing too important. He learned that Shinji and Rukia used to have their own Radio show until last year but they gave up after exhibitions and portfolio preparations.

They left the place at 8 and directly went to the exhibition in the national museum, which was not a big event all in all because they just walked around and Rukia took notes in her notebook and wanted a catalog for Unohana.

What happened after the exhibition was more important than the any event of the whole day.

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**A/N(**again, and I know its annoying I just wanted to warn you about next chapter. Normally I'm not a fluff person so don't expect that much fluff but I guess I have my own way of arranging it, mixing it with a little angst. To be honest I'm not a romantic person so you will never see Ichigo taking Rukia out walking under the moonlight. But you might see him buying her a house or something like that, functional and meaningful ;)

**SO next chapter: **What is the main event of the day?! What will be the consequences? will that draw our favorite couple together or the opposite? Beware of drama! But I can't tell you if its related with their relationship or something else different.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** Kubo Tite owns it, not me, the poem belongs to Christina Georgina Rossetti and Shidou Satoru belongs to Clamp.

**A/N:** here comes your fluffy chapter. Its all about IchiXRuki, no other characters are involved. But first of all let me tell you that I'm not good at writing those scenes so don't kill me. I can visualize them but when it comes to writing…Nah, use your imagination a little while reading that will bring you the ultimate pleasure(of course if you fantasy world is as big as mine). Don't forget to review. I had fresh baked cookies for you and I am about to bake blueberry muffins. So if you want them r-e-v-i-e-w!!

_Remember _

They got out of the museum at 11:30, yes, it was definitely a record for attending an exhibition but there were different activities like slide shows or seminars about the theme of the exhibition. Ichigo mused on his thoughts while walking back to his car with Rukia next to him. He wanted to hold her hand but he wasn't sure. She held his hand back when they were at school but now she was in a different mood and it was all because of him. He felt upset because the exhibition was over and he had to drop her to her home.

Normally for Ichigo these were the most boring stuff to do but the fact that Rukia liked them and was actually with him during the whole thing made them more bearable, and even sometimes enjoyable. He just liked spending time with her, though he was acting like a jerk most of the time.

For the first time in few years, he felt really lost. Here was a girl he felt attracted towards and he couldn't help but being his old self. The uncaring, cold-hearted, never-enjoying and the list went on and on. That part of him was always there even though he tried hard to burry it. It surfaced every time he felt his solitude being threatened by outer forces, namely Rukia(for now).

He was not a type of guy to give his secrets away. His friends 'knew' him for years but they barely knew his real self. Only Inoue was close to make predictions about his personality and that was because she was a good observer. But this time it was different and that was what made him anxious.

He was torn between his inner self and this other side that Rukia was pulling out of him. It was true that he has never been in love and he didn't know the feeling. But if his constant desire for the woman next to him or his unexplainable trust in her were any indicators then he was definitely in love.

He pitied himself for few minutes over that thought. He wasn't even able to understand if he was in love or not. What was worse was that he didn't have anyone to discuss it because somehow he managed to push everyone until they never asked him about his personal life. The same thing happened with Rukia too. She was just trying to learn what was his friendships like and he couldn't control himself.

He wanted to tell her, but there was something untamable in him and it was acting faster than he was. It wasn't that hard to understand that she was hurt from the way he treated her. Even though she was talking happily and smiling at him, her eyes were cold and distant. He didn't know how she managed to smile and look distant at the same time but he knew it happened after _that._ Damn him and his tongue!

He looked at the raven-haired girl next to him. She looked sad and thoughtful. He cursed himself again for ruining their evening. She made him laugh all day and boom! With one sentence he managed to ruin everything.

He really didn't want to drop her home. All he wanted right now was to take her somewhere quite and hold her. _Hold her? I'm sure there are other things you would like to do more than holding her, eh?_ The perverted side jumped into the conversation. He shook his head to clear his mind. No, he simply wanted to hold her and see how she was going to react. Rukia was not like any girl he has ever met. She never jumped on him or she never gave any _subtle_ signals to indicate what she wanted. She was _normal._ That irritated him too, because he usually knew what to do with the opposite sex. He gave them what they wanted and _made _them leave him alone. But now he didn't know what Rukia wanted and he didn't wanted to make her leave.

Sooner than he imagined they were standing next to his car.

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The exhibition was long and tiring. She had to focus more in order to take him out of her mind. She kept smiling but she felt broken inside.

What did she expected anyway? He was just a regular guy. They were all the same. They wanted to know every little detail about your life but they never wanted to talk about themselves.

Actually Ichigo was screaming _private_. It was in the air around him. She never saw anyone talking to him about his personal life. Only Risa was commenting on it, and from what she experienced, he wasn't enjoying it. But somehow he didn't stop Risa. Why? Was he scared of her? If so Why?

There was definitely something between them in the past. She got that part but what she didn't understand was why Ichigo was trying to hide it. Of course, he didn't have to tell her anything. But the way he made it clear was a little bit hurtful. Then again, it was her fault. If she considered Ichigo as a normal boyfriend(like a good friend form the opposite sex) everything would be fine, she would never ask about Risa let alone being hurt from one sentence. But no, she had to go and fall for him to make everything more complicated.

She felt like a hand was tightening its grip on her heart. It was long time ago when she felt like that. That time she was falling for Kaien. But Kaien was different from Ichigo. He never broke her heart with his words, his indifference was his only bad side. But it was the inseparable side of his personality. He was indifferent to anyone and anything. She shook her head to stop thinking about Kaien. She felt depressed.

All she wanted now was to go home and snuggle into her soft pillow. She definitely needed the comfort of her personal space, immediately.

It was like that all the time and it was never changing she didn't understand why guys were so afraid of her but she had her own theories. She wasn't that unlovable or something like that. She was just being normal. But nowadays guys liked girls who threw themselves at their way. It was easier for them to deal with. They knew what the chit wanted and it was all easy. But when you act normal and friendly they were putting you under 'unreadable', 'dangerous', 'hard to get' etc. she wasn't that hard to get. All she wanted was to be loved and respected as a female and a person. She was ready to give them their freedom; she was not a type of girl who called in every 5 minutes to ask where he was or what he was doing. That was his personal time, and of course, hers was her personal time too; he had to respect that.

Was it that hard for them to try to love her or at least look at her? It seemed like that. Maybe she was finding same type of guys every time. She sighed.

They were in front of his car sooner than she imagined.

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After they got into the car, Ichigo thought that if he wanted to stay with her he could stay with her. He decided to take her to his house and have a cup of coffee or something like that. _Yeah, right! Coffee, huh? I thought you were planning to snog her senseless on that famous couch of yours_! Perverted mind overload. Ichigo mentally slapped himself.

"Ichigo, my house is on the other side. You had to turn form that corner." Rukia said next to him. Ichigo didn't look at her.

"Yeah…I know. I just thought maybe we will have some coffee or something like that." He said coolly. But his heart was beating faster than ever and he was sweating. _Shit!_

"Oh…" she didn't say anything more. Ichigo looked at her for millisecond and focused his attention back to the road.

"Ichigo you passed the coffee shop." She said, turning and looking out of her window.

"Yeah I know…I have something that I want to show you." He said smiling. _Now that sound perverted! What are you going to show her!? _The voice asked. Ichigo showed the voice at the back of his mind.

"Like what?" Rukia asked, with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Jeez! Its not that I'm going to eat you or something. I'm just going to show you something from my book collection." He said, irritated. He wasn't going to jump on her or something like that. _Are you sure?_ The famous voice asked, it was still there. So Ichigo mentally slapped himself again.

"That awfully sounded like 'stamp collection' thing." She smirked.

"No! I just have something you will…just wait and see, you are going to love it." He said, this time looking at her, with a smile on his face. Rukia really felt lost. This guy was a real piece of work! He was both hot and cold. He was definitely unreadable and that made her stomach turn upside down. She definitely liked mysterious guys, but the last thing she wanted was to spend more of her time on a more temperamental version Kaien. She sighed and turned her attention back at the road in front of them.

So what if he was taking her to his house? What was the big deal? The deal was that Rukia didn't want to spend more time _alone_ with him. Every time they spend time together, Ichigo was ending up ruining it and it was always better when they were with friends. She thought that he was afraid of her and she was right. Ichigo was afraid of her.

He was smacking himself mentally for even thinking of taking her his home. His home, his sanctuary, his little dream world and he was about to share it with Rukia. The more he took her in his life the more she would become unforgettable for him.

Really, it wasn't a big thing to have his friends at his house but _this_ was different. Rukia was someone who he was attracted to, damn it! And he didn't want to put her image in every part of his little flat. And it was not the only reason. There was also the fact that he was desiring this girl/woman and a part of him (that traitorous perverted part) wanted something more than just to hold her. But that part was a total nightmare for the girl in question and he didn't want to scare her, at least not now.

They arrived at his apartment after a 25 minutes drive and Ichigo got out of the car to open her door. She arched an eyebrow, questioning his motive.

"Well just because I'm a Kuchiki doesn't mean that I only drive in a limo." She said, stepping out of the car.

"Nah, I'm trying to be a gentleman." He said matter-of-factly.

"Now that's scary Ichigo. If I didn't know better I would think that you are planning to take my clothes of." She smirked, poking him in the ribs. _YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!_ That part of his mind screamed. _SHUT THE FUCK UP!!_ Ichigo screamed back.

"Me? No. That's the last thing in my mind." _Really? _The other part asked.

"Whatever you say, _beast_." She said grinning evilly, she started to walk towards the apartment door. _Now grab her, throw her back into the car and show her what_ is_ a beast on the back seat!_ The voice offered. _Nah, it's to narrow for that,_ Ichigo answered without thinking. Then he slapped himself mentally for even thinking of it. His libido was taking over the control, and that was dangerous.

He locked his car and followed Rukia to the apartment. They were in the elevator the next time Rukia talked.

"Nice apartment you have."

"Would you expect less of me?" He asked.

"Now don't get cocky with me. I don't give compliments that easily." She said coolly.

"Really? Somehow today you seemed as if you were giving them away like flyers." He smirked. She blushed prettily. Oh, how he loved that blush.

Soon they were in front of his door and Rukia waited for him to unlock it. His house was a studio/flat and huge (from one end to the other), at least bigger than hers. She took her shoes off and started to look around with curious eyes.

Rukia felt like a child in the candy shop. The flat was big but that was not the exciting part. There were bookshelves from top to bottom, wall to wall(except the kitchen wall). They were old books and new books. She saw a few of her favorites and then a few that she was planning to read. She went near to the closest shelf and started to touch the books. It was thrilling and she felt adrenalin rushing in her veins. Then she saw it, it was beautiful. Its cover was blood red and old. She tentatively touched it. She felt a knot in her throat.

"That's what I was talking about." Ichigo came and stand behind her. She was holding The Old Curiosity Shop in her delicate, small hands. She was caressing its cover affectionately.

"That's…my favorite book." She said her eyes shining with affection (towards the book of course). Ichigo saw that and stepped a little closer. Now his lips were closer to her ear and he could smell blueberries.

"Second edition, 1841…and my favorite book too." He slowly whispered in her ear. He sighed and let his warm breath tingle her neck and ear. He wanted to touch her so much that his hand twitched. Put he kept them safely in his pockets.

Rukia on the other hand was having difficulties with breathing. Ichigo's breath was on her neck and he was whispering with a voice that held much more meaning than his normal voice. She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. It was getting harder every moment especially after he sighed. She felt shiver running down her spine. She had to get out of that situation before she did something unspeakable, like throwing herself at him.

She put the book back on its shelf, turned and stepped to the left, away from Ichigo. She put her hands in her pockets and started to walk around in his flat. That gave sometime to Ichigo to cool off.

She decided to discover the house and she went to climb the stairs up to Ichigo's bedroom. But she didn't know that yet. As soon as she stepped in she turned away :

"I'm sorry I thought you had another semi-floor here." she said shyly, blushing.

"No problem. You can look as much as you like." He smiled to her. So what the hell was he trying to do? Rukia felt confused again. She turned away from him, annoyed and looked around her. He had a nice bedroom, ok it was a semi-floor, so it was a _big_ bedroom with its own bathroom. She walked in the room and stood in front of the huge window. There was a soft looking king size bed in the middle of the room with a door on its left. She thought that was the bathroom door. There was also another huge door which suspiciously looked like the door of an inset cupboard. The lighting was soft and sensual, she liked it. He had mahogany nightstands and a fluffy looking brown velvet armchair. But what excited Rukia the most was the dormer window above his bed. That was so cool! And sensual at the same time. She could just throw herself on the bed and watch the stars shining above.

"I didn't know we were in the penthouse." She said to Ichigo, looking at downstairs.

"No we are not there. There are two more floors above but it's different. You see, there are 4 flats on each floor but after this floor there are only 2. That means there is no one sitting above me." He said, climbing the stairs. He heard her giving a little sigh.

"My mom loved watching stars…so the idea is stolen from her. Though it gives you a sleepless night when it's raining outside" he said softly. Rukia looked at him, really looked at him and decided that he was like a box which has hidden treasures. But the thing with those boxes were that you had to search for the key and then the box. And the way to those were tricky and dangerous. He had his own secrets which he liked to keep and she couldn't expect him to spill them to girl who he met a week ago.

"I'm sure it's more beautiful when watching the snow." Oh, how she loved snow. She walked past Ichigo, who was still standing in front of his bed, and stand near to the rails to look down. She saw an old type writer. It looked awfully familiar. Too familiar to bring tears to her eyes. Ichigo realized that she was looking at his typewriter.

"What can I say? I'm a little bit traditional. I love typewriters and I know it sounds sentimental but it was a gift from my mother." Ichigo explained. Rukia started to climb down the stairs to go next to it. There was that knot again in her throat. Ichigo followed her.

"So you liked to collect things huh?" she asked, walking towards his desk.

"Yeah...but only books." He stopped when he saw Rukia looking intently at his typewriter.

Rukia wanted to cry, cry hard. She was looking at her most beloved possession and it didn't even belong to her anymore.

"Where did you find this?" she whispered, touching to the old typewriter lovingly. Ichigo thought that was awkward. She then caressed the keyboard and touched somewhere behind the typewriter. He heard her gasping and her eyes started to shine with tears. Ichigo realized that something was awfully wrong, he wanted to fix it badly.

"My mother bought it from an auction for my 15th birthday…she said that it was an old man's and his family was selling it after his death." He explained getting closer to Rukia.

"So the old Yamamoto is dead now." He heard her whispering. He was dying to know what that typewriter meant for her and who the hell that old man was.

"Who?" he asked.

"Oh, No one." She smiled and walked away from the desk. Ichigo followed her back to the middle of the room.

"Hey the thing I wanted to show you was not the typewriter or the Dickens." He walked towards his shelves and took out a book with grey leather cover. It looked like notebook at first sight, "Come!" he said.

Rukia walked next to him and felt all of her world come crushing down on her. He was holding _it._ Her eyes started to burn with unshed tears.

"This is my favorite." He gave the book to her. She held it like she was holding a very thin glass. Something deadly fragile. This time Ichigo saw tears coming down.

"Rukia, are you alright?" he asked, worry evident in his tone.

"I-I am…this is…beautiful" she managed to whisper.

"Yeah, it is. Shidou Satoru is my favorite playwriter. I have never read anyone better than him and this play is his best if you ask me." He held Rukia's hand which was holding the book and turned to other side, "this is the first copy of the first edition, special cover for his daughter's 7th birthday…at least that what they said." He put his hand on Rukia's bare shoulder and started to draw small circles with his thumb. She was doing the same thing to the book's leather cover. She turned it and started to slide her finger down its spine. Ichigo was unconsciously doing the same thing on Rukia. She was wearing a shirt with low back, so her back was exposed. He slid his fingers down her soft skin, on her spine. She shivered and leaned into his touch. She opened its cover and her tears dropped on the first page. She could easily read the familiar handwriting.

_Remember me when I am gone away,_

_Gone far away into the silent land;_

_When you can no more hold me by the hand,_

_Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay._

_Remember me when no more day by day_

_You tell me of our future that you planned:_

_Only remember me; you understand_

_It will be late to counsel then or pray._

_Yet if you should forget me for a while_

_And afterwards remember, do not grieve:_

_For if the darkness and corruption leave_

_A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,_

_Better by far that you should forget and smile_

_Than that you should remember and be sad._

_ To my nymph,_

Rukia started to cry hard. She reached the shelf in front of her to hold it but suddenly strong arms wrapped themselves around her. Ichigo held her tightly to his chest. He didn't know what the problem was but he guessed that this book had some memories for her. He didn't question them; she would tell him when she was ready.

Rukia was crying harder with the support she got from Ichigo. She didn't want him to see her that vulnerable but she couldn't hold it anymore. Everything that belong to her, everything…

She missed them. She loved them and she wanted them back.

Ichigo buried his head in her raven locks and whispered that it was alright and he was with her. She held on to him with her dear life. His strong chest muffled her hysteric cry and it was wet with her tears. Ichigo caressed her exposed back with his hands and tried to soothe her.

Then she suddenly pushed Ichigo away. She pushed so hard that for few seconds Ichigo lost his balance.

"What the hell Rukia?" he looked at the girl but she was running towards his door with her jacket in her hand. She put the book on his desk and grabbed the doorknob. As soon as she did that Ichigo's big hand covered hers on the doorknob.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a very soft voice. She needed comfort now and he was so ready to give her that.

"I need to go home." She whispered, without looking at him.

"Let me get my jacket, I will drop you." He offered softly.

"No…I want to be alone." She was looking at their hands on the doorknob. She caressed his hand on hers with her other hand, "let me go Ichigo. Please…"

"It's very late; I can't let you go on your own. Let me drop you or you can stay here. I will sleep on the couch." He said sighing.

"Thank you, but I have to decline the offer." She looked at him, eyes still shining with tears and pink nose. She looked cute and so fragile. He wrapped his arm around her waist and sighed in her hair. Taking a deep breath, memorizing her intoxicating scent, he turned the doorknob.

"Then at least call me when you arrive, ok? Or else I will eat myself alive till morning" he turned her around and showered her face with soft small kisses. Her cheeks, her eyebrows, her nose, her chin and at last he kissed her softly on the lips. She smiled, but it was a sad smile.

"I will…and thanks for coming to the exhibition and bringing me here. You have no idea how I'm grateful." Yes, he didn't have any idea. How can she thank him if something made her so upset that she nearly cried her heart out?

He hugged her one last time and she was out of his sight in few seconds. He closed his door.

lxlxlxlxlxlxlxlxl

**A/N:** -_takes out her handkerchiefs and gives one to her each reader_- I don't know about you guys but I felt awful for writing such a thing. I even shed few tears when I was reading/writing the poem, Hell it always makes me cry no matter how many times I read it.

by the way do you have any guesses about Rukia's problem? I have but I wont tell you!

**Next Chapter: **we will learn the price of being a Kuchiki. So old memories are about to come. I guess the next chapter will have a little fluff too.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** You know I don't own a thing. The poem Dreams belongs to Langston Huges.

**A/N:** my dear readers thanks for your lovely reviews, I tried to answer all of you while the alerts were gone and I guess I messed up with some of them. I really love you all and sorry for the delay, you know normally I update earlier but I was busy this week. I started kendo and tomorrow I have training at 9 am! Its 1:24 am right now and I'm still awake to post this to you. So I hope you will enjoy and sorry for not writing what I promised but I had to divide it since its 5839 words. Sorry for the grammar mistakes and so, you know my reasons all too well. Don't forget to review! No cookies for you if you don't review!

_Hold fast to dreams_

_For if dreams die_

_Life is a broken-winged bird_

_That cannot fly._

_Hold fast to dreams_

_For when dreams go_

_Life is a barren field_

_Frozen with snow._

_Dreams_

Rukia didn't sleep all night and she felt like shit. She had a terrible headache and she didn't want to get up form her bed in which she laid with her clothes from yesterday.

_Yesterday._

It was an uneventful day…until Ichigo took her to his house. Rukia has never felt this down for years. She really tried hard to get over it but she couldn't. All she wanted was to crawl up and die in a small corner when she lost them. But no, they didn't let her. She couldn't even mourn for them.

She buried her head in her pillow and started to cry all over again.

--------------------

Ichigo was sick. He felt so worried that his stomach was in an uproar. Rukia didn't call him back last night and her cell phone was not answering. He couldn't sleep all night and he was eating himself. He tried to think of someone who could check up on her. He decided to call Matsumoto.

He took his cell phone out from his pocket and dialed the number. He sat on his couch and started to play with the cushions on it nervously. The phone rang and rang and rang. Just he was about to shut he heard a muffled voice from the other side:

"_Moshi, moshi!"_ she answered her phone.

"Oi, Rangiku-san…Sorry for calling this early but I need to ask you something." He said with a worried voice.

"_Ichigo?...what the hell? Is Rukia all right?"_ she sounded panicked.

"I-I don't know…she went out from my house last night and didn't call back, so I don't know if she reached home or not." He said nervously. He knew what Matsumoto was thinking.

"_Is that so? Is there a specific reason for her departure or maybe your incompetence in taking her back?"_ he realized that he has never heard Matsumoto Rangiku that serious. He gulped.

"Well it's a long story but I need to call her house…to see if she is alright." He answered, trying to sound cool.

"_I will be there in 20 minutes, prepare something for breakfast and we will call her when I'm there."_ she shut the phone before Ichigo could react. He sighed and went to his kitchen, putting his phone on the kitchen counter.

He started to prepare something for the dreadful woman.

----------

Finally, she was at school. She decided to come because she needed a distraction. She didn't want to think about last night. So she got up, took a hot bath and dressed. Now she was walking down the corridor to her classroom.

A hand gripped her elbow and turned her. She hit her head to a strong chest and caught the glimpse of blonde hair.

"Shinji!!!" she screamed.

"Oh, no missy you are not going to the classroom. You look like shit and we are heading off to our secluded area!" he screamed back. Sometimes he reminded her a best girlfriend who looked after her all the time. Shinji was one of a kind, really.

"I thought I looked good." she tried to fix her shiny raven hair which was flowing down her shoulders.

"Your outlook is fine. But I can sense it, your aura is troubled, I'm telling you" he picked his nose. Rukia's face twisted with disgust.

"Shinji!!! That's disgusting!" she shouted. He grabbed her hand before she managed to speak again and literally dragged her to their 'castle'.

"So is it about the lover boy?" he asked curiously.

"Partly yes, partly no." she answered, hugging her legs to her chest, sitting under the centuries old tree in the garden. She sighed.

"So he didn't do anything to screw up the day?" he asked.

"Actually he did…he snapped at me when I asked about Risa." She answered.

"Probably because he slept with her and not proud of it" he said nonchalantly, resting his back against the tree, "come on if I had anything going on between me and Risa and I don't think it would be a relationship sort of thing and I would never want you to know. But how unfortunate for him that you are actually friends with Risa." He said matter-of-factly.

"But he asked about my friends." He stated.

"No, he didn't ask about your _friends_, rather he asked about me and most probably wanted to reach Kaien." He claimed.

"Oh the almighty love god Hirako Shinji knows all." She said sarcastically.

"I'm not saying I know it all. It's just a guy thing…knowing the enemy, you know." He smirked.

"You? Enemy? Don't make me laugh!" she said, laughing out loud. She felt good, back to her usual self.

"I wasn't talking about myself, I was talking about Kaien." He stated looking into her eyes.

"Its pretty obvious there is nothing between Kaien and me." She laughed.

"Really? Somehow that's not what _everyone_ thinks…as a matter of fact I think he has a crush on you." His voice was very calm when saying all of this, as if he was talking about something daily.

"You are joking, right?" she asked with a serious tone.

"No I'm not Rukia and trust me everyone feels the same way. The only person who doesn't see it is you." he said, turning and looking in front of him, "that's why I don't want you to attend the classes today. I think Kaien might make a move or something like that. I watched him all day yesterday. He was very upset and he watched you and Ichigo from distance…I'm not telling you these just to confuse you but if you ask me you already made up your mind. And Ichigo is your choice I guess. Tell me whats the _thing_ about him." He finished, crossing his arms on his chest.

"He is safe." She whispered.

"That's very important. I couldn't make you feel safe…no matter how hard I tried." Rukia could see her friend's sadness and she hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"You did Shinji, but his type is different." She rested her head on his shoulder and he draped one arm around her shoulders.

"So what is the reason?"

"You see….he collects things…like books..." Her voice started to shake and tears rolled down to her neck while she cried her soul out one more time, telling everything and anything to her childhood friend.

---------------------

Ichigo was sitting on the armchair which was on right side of the couch and Rangiku was sitting on the couch with her feet under her, nibbling on the toast that Ichigo made for her.

"You are good cook Ichigo." She smiled at him; Ichigo only nodded staring at the space.

"If you are still hungry you can get whatever you want from the fridge." He added, he didn't want to sound dismissive but he was dying to learn what was wrong with Rukia and this woman was sitting on his couch and eating a toast as if nothing was amiss.

"I'm sure Rukia is alright. You don't have to worry yourself."

"I'm not worried I just feel responsible…that's all." He snapped at her.

"If your look is any indicator then you are worried to sick. You look like shit, you didn't join me eating and from what I know you haven't eaten anything since last night." She pointed rather smugly. Ichigo frowned and threw a dirty look at her.

"If you know me so well why don't you call your friends and end my _misery_." He said sarcastically.

"Well I will…of course after I eat that cherry pie on your kitchen counter." She smiled. Ichigo groaned and buried his head in his hands. He wanted to jump on that irritating woman and kill her just for the sake of it.

"Just dial the fucking number, _please_!" he said, giving her the phone. She dialed a number and then put it on speaker.

"_What?"_ the voice answered coolly.

"Only _you_ can answer the phone like that!" she said rather seriously.

"_Oh, my what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your _sweet_ voice that early in the morning, Rangiku?"_ the voice asked. Ichigo thought it was very familiar but he couldn't put a name.

"Have you seen Rukia today?" she asked smirking.

"No." the voice answered curtly.

"Let me rephrase my question for you Kaien…when was he last time you saw her?" so that was Kaien. He knew the voice was familiar. He felt his blood boil but he didn't know why. He knew Rukia was not with him and he knew that she was not with him yesterday too.

"The last time I saw her, she was dragging that orange haired boy out of the school." Matsumoto looked at Ichigo with a smile on her face.

"Hmmm…" she waited for a few minutes tapping her finger to her chin, "have you seen Shinji?" she added.

"_Well…no…probably they are sitting under a tree, daydreaming about castles and dragons with knights in shining armors."_ He answered.

"ok, thanks for the info!" she cheered and shut the phone to his face. Ichigo looked at her and cocked an eyebrow.

"She is with Shinji!" she said, sitting back on his couch, relaxing.

"Hey, aren't you going to call Shinji?" he asked. Rangiku could hear the annoyance in his voice. She liked it.

"No, if she is with Shinji, then she is with Shinji. He is the second Shuuhei, even worse than Renji so I don't need to worry." She explained.

"What do you mean by that!?!? We don't know if she is with Shinji!" he shouted, getting up from the armchair he occupied minutes ago. He wasn't interested in knowing if she was alright, now he was totally focused on what the hell she was doing with Shinji!

"Are you sure you are worried about her welfare?" she asked. Ichigo suddenly froze and looked at her, "you know boy, I might look carefree or anything you would like to name but mark my words; I read people very well and don't underestimate me, I live with Ichimaru Gin. Nobody knows what he thinks except me of course." She said seriously.

It was irritating to have such conversations with woman like her. She seemed like she knew men and now he preferred someone who didn't know men. Rukia didn't know the meanings of his actions last night, but if he has done that to Matsumoto, surely they would be in his bed this morning. He sighed with defeat and sat back on the armchair.

"So are you going to call him?"

"Are you going to tell me what happened so that Rukia felt down enough for Shinji to sense it?" she asked curiously and a hint of amusement in her voice.

"What do you mean woman? Stop driving me mad, for fuck's sake and call that fucking Shinji!" he roared. She dialed another number and put it on speaker.

"_Oh my the woman of my wet dreams is calling!"_ the voice answered, too cheerful for that early morning. He could see the face of Shinji even without looking, with that stupid smug grin plastered on his face. He felt his blood began to boil again.

"Shut the crap Shinji! Is Kia-Chan with you?" she asked with an amused tone.

"_Well…yeah…we were having an emotional moment till you called!"_ he answered._What emotional moment was he talking about?_ The perverted side of his mind asked. Ichigo shushed it.

"Ask her about her promise to _someone_ to call back last night." She said. There was a silence but Ichigo could hear him talking to her, then he heard a gasp.

"Well she says she forgot and that she will call him. She as-…" before he could finish Rukia grabbed the phone from his hands, "Ran-Chan did he call you?" Rukia asked. Ichigo was holding his breath afraid that she might shut the phone if she senses his presence.

"Yeah…you can say that…the boy was kinda worried if you ask me." She said frowning.

"Oh, I'm so stupid…how can I forget!?!" she whined.

"Probably because you were devastated?" Rangiku asked, throwing a meaningful look at Ichigo. Ichigo paled. The woman was perceptive beyond imagination. That scared the shit out of him. Oh, how little he knew what was he getting himself into.

"The goddess of perception…It's nothing important, really and don't try to have his balls because it's not related with him." Rukia said. Ichigo could literally hear her smiling. He sighed with relief; she was definitely feeling better today.

"No, of course it wasn't his fault or else we would be attending his funeral right now instead of talking on the phone." She answered cheerfully. Ichigo gulped, yes that woman was definitely dangerous.

"Ok…tell him that I'm sorry, if you see him." She said and, "I will drop by the club this afternoon, I'm not going to attend the classes today. I don't think I can handle Kaien's moods." She cheered.

"Ok, Rukia-Chan…see you later!!!!" she cheered back and shut the phone.

"So?" Ichigo asked.

"What so? You heard everything. She is good and…alive. You should drop by the club today." She advised.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo asked hesitantly.

"Yup, I'm positive. Though I think you should tell me what made her leave this place last night."

"How the hell do you know she was here last night!?!?" Ichigo asked, his left eye twitching. She pointed a blue-black scarf on his desk and cocked an eyebrow at him. He blinked and thought how he didn't realize it before.

"So you didn't argue. You didn't say something stupid. You didn't jump on her…so what was the reason?" she asked again. Ichigo walked towards his shelf, took out the book and walked back next to Rangiku.

"Before giving you this can you tell me who is Yamamoto?"

"Yamamoto you said?" she asked with surprise evident in her tone. He nodded and waited for her to answer. "Well he is a collector from what I know…he collects…things which belongs to his favorite people, like poets, actors, politicians etc. why do you ask?" she looked at Ichigo expectantly.

"Well, how does Rukia know him?" he asked one more question, still holding the book in his firm grip.

"That is something I cannot answer. That's her personal business and if you want to know ask her." she snapped at him, suddenly grabbing the book from his hands.

She turned the book a few times and caressed its cover. She turned its back again. It was written _Shidou R._ with silver letters on the soft grey leather cover. Her eyes saddened for a second but Ichigo couldn't give a meaning to that. She then turned the front cover and opened the book just to face with the same poem.

Matsumoto could understand Rukia very well. It must been very devastating to see this for her. Especially when she was trying so hard to forget it. Rangiku always envied her for the strength of her heart, for her fortitude. Sometimes she wondered why she wasn't as strong as her when it came to things like her relationships with others. Gin for example. She was still with him even if he was breaking her heart continuously. Why wasn't she capable of saying no to him? Gratitude? Love? She wasn't sure of the latter anymore. She sighed and closed the book.

"I see." She said, putting the book on the mahogany coffee table. She realized that the boy was looking at her rather intently, searching for an answer to his questions but she was not the one to give him that and she felt sorry for that, really.

"Are you planning to enlighten me?" he asked, irritated.

"No…that's none of my business again, Ichigo." She shook her head while forming the words for him slowly and seriously.

"Why the hell is that?" he asked, a little bit louder than his normal tone.

"Look, I appreciate the feelings you have for her. And do go and deny because I know you care about her." she said, she took a breath to continue but interrupted by a frowning and angry orange haired boy boring holes in her mind. She saw him closing his eyes and his frown went deeper as if it was possible. He opened them again and she saw something rather scary in them.

"That's the exact reason why I want to learn what is wrong with that book!" he said with an unreadable, stoic face. But his eyes were burning. She flinched. He looked back at her eyes, "she cried her soul out last night after seeing this and didn't explain a damn thing about it." He continued. He sat down next to her and grabbed her arm, turning her towards him.

"Does it belong to her?" he asked. Rangiku didn't answer him. She looked away.

"Ichigo, just know that her being able to cry when she is with you is a huge thing. All of her life there are two things she yearned for more than anything. Trust and love. But it's not that sort of love that only a father, a brother, a friend or a boyfriend can give. It's completely different. It's the very base of being loved by someone deeply… most of the guys in her school has that feeling for her and you don't have to go to her school to find that. You can look and see Renji or Kaien as good examples. But there is one thing that she longs desperately and none of them can give that to her. That might be your key. But I'm not the one to tell you these simply because I respect her feelings and privacy. Do you understand what I mean?" she asked, looking directly into the fierce eyes of the boy, no man, standing in front of her. He nodded. She knew why Rukia was so suddenly in love with him. He was the very thing she was searching for and Rangiku felt relaxed for the first time in years that she didn't have to worry about her anymore.

Little she knew that on the other side of the city, a boy with blonde hair was thinking about the same things with her while holding his raven haired friend closely and watching the clouds passing by.

---------------------

Rukia drove back to the club after dropping Shinji to Hiyori's house. He spent all his day with her, sitting under _their_ tree, listening to her stupid mumblings about her life and everything. But he was the best friend that she could ever have. He was there for her and his style was very different from Shuuhei or Renji. They were protective but very temperamental. She was always scared to tell them things because she believed that they would go and kill the person. Shinji was different, she could go and talk about everything and knew he would understand her. To be honest she felt relaxed after talking to him. It wasn't about the real thing but about Ichigo. She needed the opinion of a male on the issue and she got the opinion. She couldn't even think of what would happen if she told that to Hisagi or worse Renji. Though she loved them very much, she was always keeping some things from them. Especially now that Ichigo was their friend for years, she didn't want to talk about him.

She suddenly remembered the last night when she thought about Ichigo. After she went home she thought everything and anything but Ichigo. She was too broken to think about him but now she felt some sort of gratitude towards him and felt her heart swell with love for him. He was patient with her and caring. She remembered him kissing her. It was very cute and assuring not to mention tender, very tender. She felt loved again for few minutes when his lips were caressing her brows, her nose…she shivered with anticipation. Even remembering Ichigo's hand on her hand made her knees go weak.

After thinking about Ichigo for 20 minutes, she realized that she already arrived at the club. So she parked her car and went into the club.

"Hi guys!" she cheered and waved at the girls and Renji. Renji waved back and Nanao nodded back. She saw Rangiku running towards her with her arms wide open. She jumped on her and hugged her tightly to her chest.

"Ran-Chan…I…can..t..breat..he" she tried to say between breaths. All she could see was Matsumoto's breast.

"Oh, Rukia-Chan I missed you so much!" she cheered with a singsong voice. Rukia wondered what was wrong. Normally Rangiku was a lovely person and she liked to show affection towards others but telling someone that she missed them was completely different.

She suddenly released her. Rukia took a deep breath.

"I missed you too. Its not that we haven't seen each other for days!" Rukia pointed.

"Well we have news for you!" Momo came screaming towards her, "Guess what? Shiro-chan asked me out!" she shouted, excitedly.

"Well that's not something unexpected." Rukia saw Momo's face fell, "but that's Amazing!" she cheered to make her friend happy. She was really happy for her. But she couldn't help but think about Ichigo. What were they? Were they going out? Were they in a relationship?

To be honest she didn't know what to think. He came to her school and they hang out together. They had dinners and lunches, they danced and he took her to his house. But she really didn't know how to interpret that. If it was Kaien she could say that they were just hanging because they really did most of the things that she did with Ichigo, except kissing. But the kissing was not like _kissing._ Last night it was more like for comforting. To put her at ease, to show that he was there and that she could hold on to him. Ok, kissing was a very intimate way of telling that but she really couldn't name it when it came to Ichigo. He was both hot and cold, he was unpredictable, unreadable and unexpected. She loved these things in him. They made him more mysterious and exciting, thrilling maybe. She trusted him with giving her dreams back.

"So how was your day, Rukia-Chan?" Momo asked excitedly.

"Normal as always…but Ichigo ca-.." before she could finish Renji was in front of her, poking her on the shoulder with one irritating finger.

"Yeah we know that part, tell us about the _other _part." he said.

"What other part are you talking about?" she asked coolly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The other part where the boy kisses the girl, BAKA!!! What other part can I tal-.." he stopped, then he narrowed his eyes "he didn't try to for-..." before he could finish he was hit by the head and bleeding on the floor.

"Don't be stupid Renji." Rangiku looked at him, putting her hands on her hips, "he is not you!" she said, smirking. Everyone laughed.

"So are you two an item?" Nanao asked, pushing her glasses.

"I really don't know…we kissed, but not that type of kissing and we hang out but I don't think we have some sort of relationship." She blushed and walked behind the bar. Everyone looked at her but didn't want to push her about the issue. They didn't know Kurosaki boy that much, except Renji of course and they saw their friend blushing and running away. That meant only one thing and it was that Rukia didn't want them to know what was it.

What bothered Rangiku was that she couldn't manage to take it out from Ichigo too. He was as private as Rukia and he didn't say a word, let alone blushing. Of Course Rangiku never thought a guy like him could blush. Why would he blush anyway? He had every type of self-confidence and he had his personal, national fan club full of girls. Why wasn't he looking at them? What was he doing with Rukia? Maybe he was looking for a random girl to hang out. But no, he definitely had feelings for Rukia. He looked awful this morning and she really pitied him. He was a handsome boy and she wanted Rukia to love and be loved by someone that could protect her and made her feel safe, not to mention the boy being hot at the same time. It was not the protection-protection she needed, but she needed an emotional protection. There was Renji and Shuuhei, not to mention Kuchiki Byakuya behind her. But there was always something absent.

Rangiku thought that all Rukia needed was to be possessed by someone, not as an object or commodity but like the most precious thing. She wasn't the most precious thing for Byakuya, the rumor said it was his wife, his most precious, beloved thing. She wasn't the most precious thing for Shuuhei, even though he called her princess and treated her like one, he was always distracted with something different. Guys like Shuuhei would never have most precious things. She wasn't sure about Renji, even if she was the most precious thing for Renji, he was afraid of her and that wasn't good. But Ichigo….Ichigo was not afraid of her, was he? He was very possessive from what she's seen.

Matsumoto sighed and went back to her place behind the bar, making preparations for tonight. She was waiting for Ichigo. She was sure that he would come in few hours.

------------------------

Ichigo was torn between getting in to see Rukia and not. He really wasn't sure what to do with her. She had some serious problems and he didn't know if he was the cause of them. From what he suspected he was not the main problem but the things he possessed was a problem. He thought that maybe they were related with her. So he went to check his typewriter and touched the same place that she touched last night. He felt letters on his fingertips.

_Shidou S. _

_Fuck! You can't be serious!_ He thought. This was the typewriter of Shidou-san and he didn't know that for all these years! But Rukia came and touched it and then…how did she know where to touch? His heart was beating fast in his chest. Shidou surname definitely had a meaning for her. Maybe he was her favorite writer too, maybe she got excited seeing those things. But no, a mere excitement couldn't cause that kind of reaction. Especially if the case was Kuchiki Rukia. So what was the real story behind it? He was dying to learn it but he wasn't sure if Rukia would tell him.

He felt that he missed her terribly since last night. He usually didn't miss anyone, sometimes his sisters but not all the time. Rukia was a different case. He really wanted her to stay last night. He could hold her and listen to her. He could sleep next to her and chase away her demons. He wondered if she slept well last night.

After pacing for half an hour in the house he decided to pay a visit to Rukia. He really didn't know where was their relationship going, but he didn't care at the moment. All he wanted to do was to see if she was alright. Maybe he would take her out to a movie or something like that, if she felt alright. _Like a date?_ That voice asked._Maybe_, he hesitated while thinking about it. He kissed her and they were spending lots of time together but did they have a relationship? He wasn't sure. He really didn't know how to approach her.

He ran to upstairs, changed his clothes, took his present(to Rukia) and went out. After 15 minutes of driving, he was in front of the club. He hesitated to get in but decided to act upon instincts. So he opened the front door and got in.

Everyone was dealing with something. Rukia and Rangiku-san was behind the bar doing something with glasses. Nanao was up with Renji talking and Momo was…daydreaming. He looked at Rukia, she saw him and smiled.

She was wearing a white halter with a deep V neck, which was showing _too much_ skin for Ichigo's libido's standards, and low-rise tight jeans with a wide brown leather woven belt and white sneakers. Her hair was loose and hanging down from her left shoulder. She looked cute. _Admit it she looks hot!_ The voice screamed. He shook his head to clear the thought but he was sure that the voice was going nowhere. He slowly approached to the bar and sat on the stool. He smiled at Rukia and bent over the bar to kiss her cheek. Rukia blushed. She always felt too exposed with public display of affection, but when Ichigo did it, she wanted him to do it again which was weird even for her own standards.

"I brought you something." He said suddenly, while still looking into Rukia's eyes intently. He took something wrapped in a white paper which had a white ribbon on top of it. He gave it to her.

"What is this?" she asked curiously. Turning the thing in her hands, trying to understand what was it without ripping the paper.

"Well you can't know unless you look at it." He said with a smug smile on his face. Rukia didn't like that cocky attitude, it irritated her but she decided to tolerate it for now. She could always punish him after thanking for the gift. She slowly ripped one side of the paper and saw the familiar grey leather cover. She ripped the rest of the paper to reveal the book. It was THE book. Ichigo was giving her this book as a gift? Her eyes filled with tears and she jumped on Ichigo. She was small and not heavy so she easily jumped over the bar to reach him and now her arms were wrapped around his shoulders and neck and her face was buried in his neck.

He held her tightly. Her feet were off the ground and he was the one holding her in place. So he wrapped his other arm around her small waist and buried his face in her raven locks and breathed her blueberry scent. She mumbled a 'thank you' to his bare neck, sending shivers down his spine. His arms tightened around her while her lips were touching his neck. Then she straightened and looked him in the eye.

"Thank you Ichigo, you can't know how much it means to me." She said and pressed her lips to his. Ichigo just accept the thanks and kissed her back, but they didn't deepen it. Ichigo didn't want to have his first real kiss with Rukia in front of her friends. He sensed that they were avoiding them but he couldn't be sure, so he just pressed his lips back to hers, holding her tightly.

Rukia felt heady. She was so happy that she could weep. It was hers again and it was given by the boy she loved. She loved him more for that fact. He was sensitive and thoughtful. She liked it. She wanted to be together with him, she felt safe and somehow cared about. Lots of people cared about her but none of them had the same look Ichigo had in his eyes. And she wanted only what Ichigo could give her.

She stepped down from his embrace and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry that I forgot calling you" she said with sadness evident in her tone. Ichigo caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Try to remember next time, will you? I was really worried." He said sliding his hand down her neck and stopping on her shoulder.

"Wait here I will go grab my bag and take you somewhere." She smiled and disappeared. He saw Matsumoto walking towards him from the corner of his eye.

"Nice move Ichigo… clever boy!" she said cheerfully and disappeared behind the door.

Rukia came out few minutes later with her jacket draped over shoulder and her bag on the other.

"Let's go!" she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the club.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Well you gave me the best present ever and now I'm going to help you understand why it's the best present _ever_." She said opening his car's door to get in.

She made him drive to a place he has never been before. It was a small, silent neighborhood near the suburbs. They went out of his car and stood in front of a short old building.

"Is this your house?" he asked.

"No, baka! Do you think Nii-sama would let me live in a one room flat?" she asked smirking.

"Ah, yes. You mean the Ice-king has some sort of affection for you?" he asked and immediately regretted. He sighed, "Somehow it feels like every time I speak, I manage to find the right words to upset you Rukia." He said looking at his feet, with his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah but this time you are right. He doesn't look like he cares about me, does he?" she asked with a sad smile, "He has his reasons and I will tell you everything Ichigo." She grabbed his hand and showed him the way.

They climbed the stairs; her little flat was on the third and last floor of the building. She opened an old looking door with a loud crack. Ichigo held his breath and stood there dumbfounded.

It was a huge one room place filled with nothing but furniture and books. He walked slowly and saw shelves full with old books, an antique looking armchair with an antique lamp next to it. It was a very cozy room. It was old and warm with all the wood and books. He felt safe somehow. He breathed the unique smell of old furniture mixed with books.

"These are the only things that I managed to save" she walked towards the shelves and put his book on it. He looked at her with questioning eyes. _Saved? From where?_ He thought.

"Some of them are given to me by old Yamamoto…he was a good friend of my father, a real collector he was." She sighed and turned towards him, "he always advised me to dream and he said: Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, Life is a barren field, Frozen with snow." She whispered slowly.

"Langston Hughes" he said. She nodded and smiled.

"But I'm afraid I couldn't keep my promise, that I failed miserably to hold on to them." she gestured for Ichigo to sit on the armchair, "please sit if you would like to hear the story of the broken winged birds that I take care of so affectionately in my backyard which is a barren field frozen with snow." She leaned against the mahogany desk

And Ichigo sat down without a word.

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**A/N:** just reminding you to review –_holds a cookie jar in her hands-_

**Next Chapter:** hmmm…we will definitely learn the secret about the book, the Shidou guy and Yamamoto. Yoruichi might come and visit at the end of the next chapter, but I can't promise.

**AND** tell me what do you think about me changing the rating…its not coming soon but let me know if you are ok with it so that I can plan the rest of the story according to that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** Its not mine and you know it. Poem belongs to incredible Poe.

**A/N:** Rabbit entertainment proudly presents! your reviews motivated me so much that I wrote a rather short chapter for you(3212 words is short for my standards)! I know I promised Yoruichi but I didn't want to ruin the whole IchixRuki moment for you. Here is your fluff, here is your angst( I despised myself for writing those kind of cruel things) I hope you enjoy!

_Alone_

She was leaning against the old looking mahogany desk, staring at Ichigo. Ichigo was sitting on the armchair with a frown on his face. He was curious about the story but somehow he didn't want to learn it. He was afraid of feeling sad because she was feeling sad.

Family secrets always seemed very interesting to him and there was definitely something that might create a good story. Then again, he was feeling different. He didn't want to listen to it as a story, as an outsider to that life but he wanted to be a part of it. He wanted to help her get it out of her system. Saving was the keyword in this, he realized, and that was actually what made him feel uncomfortable.

He always thought that Rukia as a kind of girl who would keep her deepest secrets away from others. So if she was about to tell him something that was probably because she felt comfortable with him. So he decided to be there for her as much as he could. He stood up and went next to her. Rukia looked at him with confusion in her eyes.

"What's wrong? I thought you would want to know why I acted so out of character yesterday." She whispered still looking deeply in his eyes. He suddenly bent and wrapped his arms around her form, he whispered in her ear:

"I don't think it was out of character. I think it was the real you that you reserved only for few people. And I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough to share that with me." Rukia's eyes widened with surprise and appreciation. She liked the fact that Ichigo was seeing her as some kind of mysterious person who showed her real emotions only to a select few. She was like that but it didn't come with the thought of being mysterious or etc. it was a consequence of what she has been through and she couldn't share that with everyone. Especially when she was aware that most of the relationships around her were artificial.

She despised that type of people. She was always honest and her father taught her like that; so she couldn't understand others who liked to fake their emotions, feelings, words and actions. She couldn't think of herself confessing her love to someone without actually feeling it. Or hanging with the people she despise in reality but smile to their faces. No, she was not like that and because of that, she was named as ice-princess at school. Yes, she was picky but she was always happy with her choices of friends. She couldn't and wouldn't replace any one of them. She couldn't find another Rangiku, Shuuhei, Renji or Shinji. Now Ichigo was like that too.

He was here, holding her, hugging her affectionately. Though he was not telling anything, she could feel exactly what he was trying to tell. He was telling her that he would be here with her. He was telling her that he was not an outsider but he was from the family. He was there to protect her, to care for her. Suddenly Ichigo lifted her in bridal style and carried her with him to the armchair. He sat down with her on his lap and wrapped one of his arms around her waist while putting his other hand on her tight. He looked down at her and smiled.

"I guess now I'm ready to hear your story and you are ready to tell." He said, hugging her a little more to himself. Rukia felt herself blushing at his intimate act. Here she was sitting on his lap, legs draped from the one arm of the armchair and being hold securely close to that firm chest of his. She could smell his unique scent more clearly now. Sandalwood, she remembered. She buried her face in his neck again and inhaled deeply.

"You smell like my father." She whispered to his neck. Normally Ichigo would be too aroused to think anything but now was a different time and he didn't want to scare the girl in his arms. He simply wanted to show her that he cared and supported her. So he took her hand and placed it on his heart where she could feel his heartbeat.

Rukia felt his strong and steady heartbeat under her hand and felt relaxed. She tried to catch up with his breathing. She turned her head and rested her cheek on his chest which was covered with a soft black shirt. She sighed and decided to start her story.

"You remember the time that I told you about my parents' death?" she asked and felt him nodding, "that I said it was complicated…lets start from there. As I said before it is a very long story because it didn't finish with their deaths, on the contrary, everything began with it." She sighed and snuggled deeper into his warm embrace.

"But before that I guess I have to tell you that I'm not originally a Kuchiki." She took a deep breath, "Do you know how Shidou Satoru died? " she asked.

"Well if I'm not mistaken he was murdered by a crazy fan on his way back home with his wife. Why?" he asked.

"He is my father Ichigo…the guy who killed them was a fan of my father and he sent one of his writings to him and got angry with him because he didn't respond his letter." She sighed.

"Y-You are Shidou Satoru's daughter?...the daughter he dedicated his…" Ichigo felt that he wasn't able to form words yet alone make sentences, "nymph" he whispered, hugging Rukia more tightly to his chest and stroking her jean covered tight . She nodded and snuggled deeper as if it was possible. She felt comfortable while talking about her story.

"But you suppose to have an older sister, you never talk about her."

"That's the problem. My parents died when I was eight and my sister was engaged to Byakuya nii-sama at that time. She was eighteen…one day some man from government came to our house in which my sister and I were living."

"_Well Miss Shiodu, do you think you can look after her?" the man with a black coat asked, sitting on their couch sipping his tea calmly._

"_I guess I can, sir." She sipped her own tea, "I'm about to get married in few months and I'm sure she can stay with us." She said happily._

"_We need to check with your husband-to-be in order to make some preparations, you know we want the best for little Rukia." The man said with smile on his face. Rukia was hiding behind the huge door which was opening to the Guest area in their house. Their house was big, very big. _

"_Yes, yes of course. I'm sure you will be pleased after meeting with him. His name is Kuchiki Byakuya." She said, proud and affection evident in her tone. Two men nodded knowingly._

"They were going to give you to a foster family?" he asked surprised.

"Yes, normally they do that. But the fact that my sister was getting married to a noble man stopped them. Not to mention him adopting me." she straightened a little bit, like wanting to prove that she was strong and can handle herself, "I dint know at that time that my sister was sick. But she was afraid that I will be given to a foster family if something happens to her. So she asked Nii-sama to adopt me, which I learned years later. They get married sooner than they planned which upset his family a little. They always wanted their son marry a noble one. We are not noble as you know." Ichigo nodded, that was getting more interesting and scary at the same time.

He looked at her intently. He looked at the way her hair was flowing down her shoulders, the way her violet eyes were shining and the way her chest was moving up and down with each breath. He realized that he was really falling hard for the girl in his arms. And it wasn't just related with the enormous and sometimes bothersome physical attraction but he felt like his soul was trying to connect with her, reach out for her and need her presence to exist. That was an unsetting feeling but he welcomed it, with arms wide open. He wasn't going anywhere and if he could help he wasn't going to let her go too.

"So they get married 2 weeks after my parent's death in order to adopt me. I was adopted, I was safe but it came with a huge price…I was expected to be a Kuchiki, forget about my parents, forget about being a Shidou."

"_Nee-san! Aren't we going to the funeral?" the little girl asked. _

"_No we aren't little one. We have to stay here. Let Kuchiki-sama handle it, ok?" her sister answered with a sad smile on her face._

"_But I want to say good-bye to papa!" the girl cried._

"_I know sweetie, we will soon. But not today." She said calmly._

"_BUT THE CEREMONY IS TODAY!!!!!!" the girl shouted even louder and started to cry hysterically. Her sister hugged her tightly before the door opened with a creaking voice. A tall man with long black hair was standing in the doorway._

"_Hisana can you please make her stop? It's going to be a long day and she needs to contain herself." The man said with a stoic face. Rukia didn't like her sisters fiancée, he was so cold and emotionless. He was talking rarely. She really didn't understand what her sister was seeing in him._

"_Byakuya-sama can't you let her go to the funeral? She just wants to say good-bye." She looked at the cold man with pleading eyes. The man walked towards them and kneeled on the ground, caressing her sister's cheek._

"_I can't Hisana, I'm not the one who decided that. But I will take her to the cemetery, I promise." He said and caressed her hair one last time before leaving the room._

_All this time he didn't look at Rukia, didn't talk to her or even made any move that he recognized her presence in the room. Rukia cried harder for her loss but also she cried for her future life. She apologized from her parents, especially from her father and wished them farewell in their journey to the other side. She promised to find them in heaven_.

"He didn't let you go to the funeral?" Ichigo asked with a cold voice. Rukia could see the anger flashing in his eyes. She slowly caressed his cheek to draw his attention towards her. Ichigo leaned into her touch and looked at her.

"That wasn't his fault. I understand that he was powerless against the elders of his family but there are other things…you see, it wasn't only not attending the funeral, but it was also erasing them from my life. Like they have never been my parents. Kuchiki elders called it a_full-adoption_. It was turning someone into a Kuchiki like its something possible…so they started this transformation by destroying the things that can bring back the memories of my previous life…namely selling the assets of Shidou family. Of course this strategy started after my sister's death. She died two years after my parents' death and they didn't let me go to her funeral either. I was ten at that time. They couldn't do anything while my sister was there because she was legally the owner of the assets, but after her death they were left to Byakuya." She said with grieve evident in her voice.

"Why not you? You are the sister!" Ichigo objected.

"No, I was a Kuchiki, remember, they adopted me. And they changed the papers and everything so that I looked like a real Kuchiki, though they never really welcomed me in their family." She turned her face and rested her cheek back on his chest again, "they decided to sell my family house with everything in it. They arranged an auction; they collected everything in my room, which I brought with me to the Kuchiki house. This book and your typewriter are one of these things he wrapped and took away from me…I tried to fight back, but really its not an option when you are dealing with Nii-sama."

"_Nii-sama please! I'm begging you! Pleaseee!" she was trying too hard not to cry. She wanted to scream, she wanted to hit him, hit him hard. She wanted to run away, but she couldn't do that. She promised her sister._

"_No, we are selling it and that's my final decision."_

"_I will do whatever you want, just please…I will be a good girl, I will never bring shame to Kuchiki name." said the raven-haired ten year old girl, dressed in white, was standing in front of him. She was on the verge of crying. Byakuya looked at her small form, hands clasped in front of her and her little white dress was perfect._

"_I'm not going to say again Rukia, that's my final words…now you can get out, and close the door behind you please." He said coldly and turned towards the window with his hands behind his back._

_She got out of the room and started to run down the stairs, she ran, ran and ran._

"Saying that I'm sorry will not change anything so I'm not going to say it. Instead I just want you to know that I'm here as long as you want me to be." Ichigo said with a serious tone and hugged her tightly, resting his cheek on her forehead.

"I know…that's why I'm here with you. Somehow you make me feel protected and cherished. Only my father had the ability to do that and I haven't felt like this since I'm eight…he used to read me lots of books. We had a huge swing in the garden and I used to climb on his lap and sit there for hours listening to his voice lulling me to the sweetest daydreams a little girl could have. But I don't have them anymore. I have nothing left…" a lone tear traveled down her cheek. Ichigo bent his head and kissed her cheek softly. He started to caress her hair and her arm with the hand that was on her leg. He buried his fingers to her hair and slowly pulled her to himself. He desperately wanted to kiss her, to soothe her, to hold her.

He chastely kissed her, tilting her head a little while holding her in place. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ichigo hesitated for few seconds to deepen the kiss and decided to give it a try. He licked her lips to see if she will respond. She opened her mouth and he pushed his tongue in, slowly caressing hers.

Rukia felt his tongue expertly invading her mouth, and then with a mind of its own, her tongue began mingling with his erotically. Her hands found their way to his shoulders and neck. She pulled him closer as if possible. They broke apart panting minutes later. Ichigo was the one to break the kiss. He didn't want to take advantage of her vulnerable moment.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her eyes shining with desire.

"I don't want you think that I'm taking advantage of you." He whispered, trying to calm himself. His body was on fire and he wanted more, but he decided to control himself. This was not the time for that. She looked at him like he was talking about something completely different.

"Don't worry, you are not. And its not something came with the moment. I have been thinking about it for a very long time." she whispered huskily while nibbling hic neck.

"If you say so.." he managed to mutter while trying to deal with the heady feeling she was creating. He decided to give in and before she could reply, he pressed his lips to hers. She opened her mouth, welcoming him. He felt a strangled groan rumble in his throat. Their tongues were dancing, slowly mesmerizing each of them. When he felt her hands in his hair, groping, pulling him closer, he knew that there wasn't any other place he would rather be or anyone in that matter. She shifted in his lap grinding her hips deeper. He groaned and held her in place to stop the friction. He didn't know if she was doing it on purpose but he decided to stop because they were heading to the dangerous waters. He slowed down the kiss and started to move down to her jaw and then to her neck. He was trying hard to stop himself but somehow he couldn't get enough of her. Rukia trembled as his teeth nibbled her lobe.

"I think we should stop." He whispered, his voice thick with desire. She nodded, her eyes still closed. He pulled back reluctantly. He kissed her lips softly. Then he kissed her forehead and moved back a long lock of hair that had fallen into her face. A feeling of peace intruded his being. He hoped that she felt the same.

" From childhood's hour I have not been

As others were; I have not seen

As others saw; I could not bring

My passions from a common spring.

From the same source I have not taken

My sorrow; I could not awaken

My heart to joy at the same tone;

And all I loved, I loved alone.

Then- in my childhood, in the dawn

Of a most stormy life- was drawn

From every depth of good and ill

The mystery which binds me still:

From the torrent, or the fountain,

From the red cliff of the mountain,

From the sun that round me rolled

In its autumn tint of gold,

From the lightning in the sky

As it passed me flying by,

From the thunder and the storm,

And the cloud that took the form

(When the rest of Heaven was blue)

Of a demon in my view." He heard Rukia whispering. It broke Ichigo's heart so deeply that he wanted to cry for her, with her. He wanted to mourn with her for her loss, for her predetermined childhood, for the memories that has been taken away from her.

"Edgar Allan Poe" he whispered back. He looked at her face. She had strains of tears down her soft cheeks. Her eyes were closed, her head resting on his shoulder. She was murmuring some song which he didn't know and couldn't understand because her voice was so low. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, trailing his hand down to her smooth neck and then wrapping both his arms securely around her shoulders. He rested his head on the back of the armchair.

Her murmuring stopped in few minutes and she started to breathe deeply. She was fast asleep, clutching his shirt in her small, delicate fists. She snuggled deeper into his embrace and sighed with content.

Ichigo sat there with Rukia in his arms and a content smile on his face. He rested his cheek on her head and kissed her head softly before drifting into a dreamless abyss.

----------------

**The story teller asks to the readers:** what did we learn from our previous reviewing experiences?

**The readers answer:** We learned that they motivate our Psycho Rabbit Writer!!!!

**Story teller asks again:** So what do we do!?!?(shouting)

**They answer cheerfully: **we keep reviewing and giving cookies to our writer with White fluffy fur!!!!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing! the poem belongs to Maya Angelou

**A/N:** Ta Da!!! That's your new chapter folks. Now I have a beta reader so it will be easier for you to read. my lovely beta-reader is **Aznjtgirl **and she says Hi to all of you! Well I have a **warning** for this chapter: there may be subtle hints about _things_ but nothing too obvious. So I'm not changing the rating now but soon I will need to. I hope you will enjoy and I'm glad that my poetry/quotation obsession is not bothering you. I put the poem below because it reminds me of Rukia a lot. So go and read and do NOT forget to review!

**Phenomenal Woman**

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.  
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size  
But when I start to tell them,  
They think I'm telling lies.  
I say,  
It's in the reach of my arms  
The span of my hips,  
The stride of my step,  
The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman  
Phenomenally.  
Phenomenal woman,  
That's me.

I walk into a room  
Just as cool as you please,  
And to a man,  
The fellows stand or  
Fall down on their knees.  
Then they swarm around me,  
A hive of honey bees.  
I say,  
It's the fire in my eyes,  
And the flash of my teeth,  
The swing in my waist,  
And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman  
Phenomenally.  
Phenomenal woman,  
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered  
What they see in me.  
They try so much  
But they can't touch  
My inner mystery.  
When I try to show them  
They say they still can't see.  
I say  
It's in the arch of my back,  
The sun of my smile,  
The ride of my breasts,  
The grace of my style.

I'm a woman  
Phenomenally.  
Phenomenal woman,  
That's me.

Now you understand  
Just why my head's not bowed.  
I don't shout or jump about  
Or have to talk real loud.  
When you see me passing  
It ought to make you proud.  
I say,  
It's in the click of my heels,  
The bend of my hair,  
the palm of my hand,  
The need of my care,  
'Cause I'm a woman  
Phenomenally.  
Phenomenal woman,  
That's me.

_Phenomenal Woman_

Rukia remembered how she woke up in Ichigo's arms in an uncomfortable position on her father's favorite armchair. It was early in the morning but they had continued to talk about lots of things. She told him how Yamamoto was a good friend of her father and that he helped her to get this place and buy back her belongings. He also helped her to reach the things that spread around the world. Since he was a famous collector he had very good connections. So she gave him her father's typewriter as a gift to the man for his help. He promised to return the typewriter to her after his death but unfortunately his family was unaware of that plan so they sold it.

She was happy to find the typewriter but she never expected to find the book; old Yamamoto looked everywhere for the book. When she asked Ichigo where he found it, he said that he stumbled upon it in the U.S.A.

Rukia thought it was very considerate of him to give the book to her as a gift so she refused his offer to give the typewriter back. She felt good as long as she knew where it was and it was unfair to take it away from Ichigo since he had some special bond with the typewriter too. It was his mother's gift to him and he loved it with all of his heart. She could see it in his eyes clearly when he talked about it. She figured that Ichigo internalized the object because it reminded him of his mother and if his relationship with his mother was anything close to her relationship with his father, then it was very unfair to separate him from it.

When Rukia woke up this morning she sat on Ichigo's lap and watched his face carefully. He frowned all the time, she realized, even in his sleep sometimes. She wondered what he was dreaming about. If he was dreaming of her… she liked to think that he was dreaming about her, because she had had a very _interesting _dream about him.

She wasn't the type of person who dreamed those kinds of things but Ichigo was awakening something in her. It was even more intense when she could feel his smooth skin under her touch. That was a sweet yearning which she had never ever experienced before.

She really felt terrible after he dropped her at home. She could spend her whole day listening to his heartbeat and curling in his lap. But like every good thing, it came to an end when Ichigo opened his eyes.

All in all it was a good morning but it would have been better if Ichigo had kissed her like he did last night. She smiled and started to get ready for school. Today was such a beautiful day!

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Ichigo felt safe the moment he shut his door and locked it. He was back in his sanctuary, his home, his little world. He leaned his forehead on his door to cool down. He could still feel Rukia's hands on him and he could still taste her on his lips. His skin was yearning for her. Even remembering the feel of her fingers on his skin was causing his heart rate to increase. The fire in his stomach was roaring now. He wanted more, so much more.

He slowly moved towards the stairs. It was still very early in the morning; 6:50 to be more specific. They woke up together on that old armchair. She said that it belonged to her father. It was really like a dream to him. Shidou was not only his favorite playwriter but he was the very reason of Ichigo choosing writing as a career. And now he was with his daughter. Though originally this fact does not have an affect on him, but he found it thrilling enough.

But it was not the only reason his body was tense now. He needed a shower desperately and then maybe he would lie down and try to relax a little. He thought again and decided that it was impossible for him to relax under these circumstances. His body was still on fire. There was a lot of pent up passion in him that it was giving him a terrible headache. His mind was still full of images of Rukia and they were rushing back every time he closed his eyes.

He took off his shirt slowly and threw them on his bed. Then he unzipped his pants and left it lying on the floor, in front of his bathroom door. He slowly walked into his cozy bathroom, where there was a marble tub and a glass shower room. Then he took his boxers off and opened the glass door of his shower. It was designed as a shower/steam room with a glass door so it was like a small cabin. He turned the left tap on and let the hot water wash all over him. Soon the glass walls were covered with hot steam.

He closed his eyes and let his mind think of Rukia. Her soft hair, her lips, her neck. But with these thoughts came the other ones which he forbid himself. It had been a long time since he allowed himself to do it but he was going to let himself this time because he was too tired to try to control himself and fight the feeling

He thought of her whimpers, her moans. He thought of her soft breath on his face, her hands around his neck, holding his hair. He remembered the way her hands slowly stroked the base of his neck, which drove him wild and nearly caused him to lose control.

He reached over and put his palms on the cool, wet ceramic tiles. He took deep breaths to calm himself down, but it wasn't working. He could remember every little detail vividly. How she tasted, how her skin felt so soft under his touch, how her body arched into his… He wanted to do it again and again. He wanted to be the only one to give her those feelings, cause these reactions in her. He wanted her so badly that it hurt. He didn't know where this sudden feeling was coming from, this strong possessiveness and protectiveness. He didn't welcome them but he couldn't deny them. They were here and surly he was feeling them, very intensely.

He could kill Byakuya on the spot if he was in the room. How could he hurt such a girl like Rukia? How could they take away her happiness? He wanted to give her back her old days. The days she felt safe, loved and felt comforted. He wanted her to belong only to him, and in return he would do anything for her.

He looked at his right hand and thought on reliving himself. It had been a long time since he had but he wasn't sure if he could handle any further temptation in the future. Maybe if he could stop himself this time; that would give him a little bit more time before jumping on her. _Jumping on her!?!?! And you call _me_ perverted! _He mentally slapped himself, both to stop the voice and to stop thinking like that. But one slap would never work against such desires. His hand inched to its destination…

Knock! Knock! Knock!

_Shit! shit! shit! Who the hell was that?!?!?_

Ichigo turned on the cold water to calm himself before getting out. He let the icy water wash over him and extinguish the fire in him before facing the intruder. _Probably the old pervert_, he thought. Only his father had his key and he had been reluctant to give it to him in the first place. But after a huge fight over it, they (crazy bitch editor of him and his old father) took the only other copy away from him.

He opened the glass door and wrapped a black towel around his waist. He opened the door only to come face to face with one and only Shihouin Yoruichi. He was nearly jumping out of his skin.

"What the hell woman?!?!? What are you doing in my house so early in the morning?!?!?" he yelled at her.

"Calm down boy, I'm here to check if you are alright." She said with a smirk on her face, she was looking at the floor. Ichigo looked at the same point and saw his boxers lying on the floor. _Damn it! This irritating woman always finds the most inappropriate moment to come!_

"Of course I'm alright. Jeez woman don't you have better things to do?" he asked taking his boxers off the floor and heading towards his bed to hide his other pieces of clothing. He held his towel securely around his waist but he still felt too naked for his liking. Especially in front of a woman like her. _I bet you wouldn't mind if she was Rukia!_ The other part snapped at him. He tried to shove that part to the back of his mind.

"Well your dad called you last night, I called you last night and some of your friends called you last night. But we couldn't reach you. Neither at home nor on your cell phone. The last time you were acting like that was…"

Before she could finish, Ichigo was towering over her with a deep frown on his face. She stopped after seeing his eyes burning with something she couldn't name. He looked at her intently. There was a pregnant pause.

"Didn't I promise you back then?" he asked very seriously. Yoruichi felt uncomfortable with his presence so near her. Normally she wouldn't mind but Ichigo was a little bit different when he was angry. And he was definitely angry now. She smiled at him to lighten the mood.

"Of course you did silly boy! We are just worried about you! We elders do that a lot you know." She winked at him and slapped his arm playfully. He was still not smiling and his intimidating figure was still towering her. He turned his eyes and looked at the other side.

"I was with Rukia," he said in a low voice and he stepped away from her.

"Of course you were, silly me!" She smacked her forehead. She completely forgot the exhibition that they arranged so carefully. It was nearly getting ruined because of that stupid Kaien but hopefully Retsu took care of that.

Now Ichigo was sitting on his bed with his shirt in his hand, thinking with a deep frown on his face. He couldn't believe that they thought that he broke his promise. Were they thinking so little of him? Was he really that kind of a person in their eyes? That was just a time, a transition and it passed even though it caused some drama. He sighed.

"Ichigo…" Yoruichi's voice snapped him out of his trance. She was standing next to his bed, her arms crossed over her chest. "Do you want me to take care of him?" she asked.

"Take care of _who_?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Shiba Kaien." There was that pause again. Ichigo thought for a few seconds.

"What do you mean by 'take care of'?" he asked curiously.

"You know Rukia will be seeing him everyday and he has a crush on her. So I don't think he will let you have her without a fight." She said coolly.

"Don't be silly, Rukia would know if he had a crush on her and I wouldn't be standing here talking about Rukia with you."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. He can't even go far enough to tell her that. Because now she has no idea since she doesn't know how to read man." She stated.

"Oh, she knows how to read men, trust me." He said smirking.

"Hmmmm….lets think. Hisagi Shuuhei was attracted to her and he is one of her best friends. Abarai Renji was attracted to her and he is another one of her best friends. Shiba Kaien is attracted to her and he is kind of a good friend. They all played with her in different ways and used their friendships to get near to her and when things turned serious they freaked out, at least Renji and Shuuhei did. She doesn't know what Kaien is thinking because Kaien acts the same around every good looking girl with brains. But only an outsider could see and I can name you lots of people who know about Kaien's _slight_ obsession with Rukia. He never needed to act upon his feelings because Rukia was infatuated with him and following him around like a lonely puppy. But now you came into their lives and everything has changed since Rukia started to care about you." She looked at him expectantly after her lecture. Her words made his blood boil. How could Kaien even think of getting someone that belonged to him? Oh, he couldn't and he wouldn't. Because Rukia was his and remain his until he let go of her, which might be in the very distant future. He smiled evilly.

"So what do you say?" he asked with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Hmmm…How long do you need to secure your place in her heart? Without a distraction I mean," she added.

"More than a month."

"And I thought you were an expert when it comes to ladies." She smirked.

"You are forgetting the fact that this girl is Kuchiki Rukia."

"And the difference is?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. She was dying to learn how Ichigo felt and what he thought about her. Actually, _they_ were dying to learn.

"Look…first of all I don't like to talk about my personal business with anyone, much less you. Second I don't think what I think about Rukia is really relevant to you because all you have to do is to keep Kaien away from her. Third, my relationship with Rukia is mine and mine alone, no one else's. I don't want to hear a damn thing about it in the future. And forth, I have my reasons and I have my own way of doing things and they are none of your business," He snapped at her.

She really knew how to touch his nerves. And he was very easy to provoke. She smiled to herself. This boy was as fierce as the devil himself when it came to his own business. She pitied Rukia for a second but only for a second because she was getting the whole package. And of course like every good thing Rukia had a price to pay if she wanted to have Ichigo. Rukia was a brave and strong girl, she could handle him. She couldn't think of anyone better than Rukia for Ichigo. And she knew that Ichigo was aware of the fact, maybe a little unconsciously (purely instinctual) but he was aware.

"Ok, I didn't ask, I'm not asking and will never ask. Oh, and consider it as done." She winked at him and started to climb down the stairs. Ichigo followed her to downstairs.

"Can I ask your _brilliant_ plan to keep him away if he is so obsessive about Rukia?" They were standing in front of his door. His black towel was still wrapped securely around his waist.

"Have no fear! He has other obsessions like you have writing." She slapped him playfully on the shoulder. Ichigo looked at her irritated.

"You know Yoruichi, I really don't like you touching me," he said with a serious tone.

"Oh, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if you had a shirt on." She said smirking.

"No, I'd still mind." He said and opened the door. But before she got out he reached his hand and opened it in front of her expectantly. She looked at him with her own frown.

"That key doesn't belong to you and it doesn't belong to my dad anymore either," he said snatching the key from her hand. Then he shut the door to her face with a loud bang.

She sighed. That was a good conversation. The best you could have with Ichigo when you were talking about these kinds of things. This was a good plan they made together with her friends; Isshin and Kisuke had joined their plotting as well. They brought good male perspective and Ichigo's _probable_ future reactions. Things were good and they would only get better. They had a huge plan! It didn't really matter if Ichigo agreed with them or not because Retsu was already taking care of it right now.

------------------

School was peaceful. Kaien was somewhere she didn't know. Shinji was having a day off with Hiyori so the day passed without any major event. She surely received some death glares from Ichigo's fangirls, the way she used to receive them from Kaien's fangirls but it was anything different. She was used to it now. She smiled at them, every single girl who looked like that she wanted to kill her on the spot. She was really happy and she couldn't wait to see Matsumoto.

Rukia knew that Matsumoto was dying to learn what happened and she was grateful that she had kept her mouth shut. So after school, without wasting any time, she jumped into her car and drove back to the club. That's why she was standing in front of its door with a wicked smile on her face. She pondered Matsumoto's reaction for a second before she opened the door.

"HI EVERYONE!!!!" She shouted to get everyone's attention. When she looked around, she saw everyone arranging chairs around a table and taking shot glasses out frantically. They were getting ready for her.

"YOU!!!" Renji shouted back from the top of his DJ floor. She smiled at him sweetly. She was definitely in a good mood, Renji thought.

She walked towards her friends and sat down on the chair. Everyone was looking at her expectantly. They sat around the table with a shot glass in front of each of them. There was Shuuhei, Renji, Rangiku, Nanao, Momo and Shinji! They really _were_ curious weren't they? The truth was her friends were dying to know _every_ detail and none of them dared to speak with the fear of frightening her with their insane questions.

"So?" Nanao asked, pushing her glasses up. Her hair was still in that elegant bun she always wore.

"Well…Uh…I took him to show my collection and…um…we talked," she said, blushing.

"You just _talked_?" Shuuhei asked. "The Ichigo I know cannot talk with a woman more then few minutes, especially with an exceptional beauty like yourself." He smirked.

"Really, Shuuhei? He is not the pervert that you painted him out to be!" she objected.

"Hmmm…lets see…you've known the boy for…how long? Two weeks, 20 days? We've known him for years," he answered knowingly.

"How well do you think you know him?" She asked with a serious tone.

"I believe I know a quite a bit," Renji answered.

"Hah! You think you know, but you have no idea!" she said, smirking triumphantly.

"Oh, please do enlighten us, Oh Goddess of perception." Renji said. Shinji put the back of his hand on his forehead and pretended like he was fainting.

"Well first of all, he's a great listener," she stated.

"Yeah if I knew that listening would get me in your pants, I would gladly listen to your nonsense." Shuuhei smirked.

"I've been listening to her nonsense since I was ten and I haven't seen her bed yet! That's unfair!!!!" Shinji moaned and hit his head to the table. Everyone laughed at that.

"So you have the book but did you get the typewriter?" Matsumoto asked, changing the subject.

"He offered, but I don't think it would be fair to separate him from it. His mother bought it for him," she explained sadly.

"Let me give you some advice Rukia; if he mentions anything related to his mom, run away. Its not that he won't tell you or something but accidents happen. When he starts to talk about her, he changes completely. He'll become someone you don't know. He'll change so quickly and dangerously that you can't even call him Ichigo anymore," Shuuhei warned her.

"Yeah think of it as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Renji added to clear out the point. Rukia looked at them like they were talking about rocket science. What the hell were they going on about?

"Care to enlighten us a little bit more?" Nanao asked. Shuuhei looked at Renji meaningfully. Renji sighed.

"If you think that he's dangerous or even unstable why the hell did you encourage her to be with him!?!?!" Rangiku asked, fire burning in her ice-blue eyes.

"Well we never thought Ichigo would really be interested in a female, especially in a romantic relationship. Actually at the beginning we thought he fell for her but it was Ichigo…he could never stay in love more than 3 days or so," Renji explained.

"Then you can't really call it love," Nanao pointed out.

"Call it whatever you want." Shuuhei said coolly. "We actually wanted him to get to know Rukia because they are alike. But we thought that he might lose interest in her so she would just be a good friend." Shuuhei sighed. "But I realized that things have changed, especially for Rukia, so I decided to go for it. You can't really blame us. The Ichigo we knew and the Ichigo now are completely different and we liked the change."

"We thought that he was the same old one when he didn't kiss you or call you for 3 days. Really, that was a very typical of him, but then I saw that it wasn't like that. Really, it's not something bad. Maybe we exaggerated a little bit. So tell us about last night!" Renji finished.

"You know I don't like to talk about my private business." She reminded them downing her shot which was filled by the one and only Matsumoto Rangiku few minutes ago.

"Did he kiss you?" Momo asked with an excited glint in her eyes. The deep blush that was tainting Rukia's cheeks was their answer.

"Wooooooooo!" They all cheered together and saluted with another shot. Rukia thought that they could easily get drunk if they continued doing this. But all of them had learned to hold their liquor after spending sometime with Ran-Chan. She really loved her friends and the ways they tried to keep her happy. It was working pretty well.

"How was it?!?!" Rangiku asked with a sultry voice.

"Uhm…I…good, I guess." She said. _Good? It was FANTASTIC!!!! The boy snogs like a God! I wonder how he sha—_before the perverted part finish its ranting Rukia showed it at the back of her mind.

"Good? Just good?!?! Risa says that he is a bloody genius!!!" Renji shouted. That comment gained him a hard kick under the table but he didn't know whose foot was that, probably Rangiku's. Rukia blushed and felt her stomach clenching in a tight grip of jealousy. She could have easily jumped on Risa and taken her guts out right then and there.

"Well I can't say for her but I think he's good. That's all you're gonna get from me!" she snapped, crossing her arms on her chest. She looked annoyed and her eyes had a dangerous look now. The soft violet orbs were shining with determination that none of them has ever witnessed.

Suddenly the door of the club opened and a very happy looking Kaien entered the building.

"Hi everyone!" he shouted waving his hand. Rukia realized that she has never seen Kaien so happy for more than a year. There was definitely something going on.

On the other hand, Rangiku didn't like the happy looking, cheerful version of Kaien. She knew that something was behind this. He couldn't be so happy when another man was sweeping his girl of her feet. She looked at Kaien with narrowed eyes. Nanao saw that.

"I don't like it either Ran-Chan." She whispered so that only Rangiku could hear her.

"There is something definitely not good." she answered back with a whisper of her own. Kaien walked towards them, dragged a chair and sat on it.

"Rukia I have news!" he said in the same dangerously happy voice.

"Really? What is it?" she asked. She was really curious now.

"Well I got an offer from Armani. He is preparing a Japanese theme catalog for his spring/summer collection and he wants me to be the photographer." He said, looking directly in Rukia's eyes. Rukia was speechless. This was a huge thing for his career not to mention for his self-esteem.

"Wow! Are you serious!?!?" she cheered after getting back to earth. She jumped around his neck and hugged him. Everyone was looking at each other with concern written all over their faces. This wasn't good; that son of a bitch was planning something.

"Of course silly!" he smirked hugging her back. "Now the part that concerns you, is that they want me to bring my assistant with me." Rangiku was about to faint. Shuuhei wanted to kill the boy on the spot and Renji was speechless among with Shinji and Momo.

Rukia looked at him with questioning eyes. What the hell he was talking about? What assistant was that?

"Oi, Rukia!" Kaien waved his hand in front of her eyes. She focused on him.

"What?" she said irritated, "I don't understand how it concerns _me_." Her voice was calm but her heart was beating really fast.

"Well…can you think of a name as my assistant?" he asked curiously.

Rukia was thinking really hard to find a name. Really Kaien never worked with an assistant. He usually took her to the places where they suppose to take photos and showed her a few tricks, let her do some of her own thing but he didn't _really_ have an assistant. She looked over to her friends. Shinji's eyes were big with surprise and she didn't understand why. Matsumoto had a deep frown. Now why the hell she was frowning? Nanao was just glaring at Kaien, Shuuhei was throwing daggers at Kaien and Renji had a scowl.

Suddenly a huge hand met her forehead and slapped her out of her intense thinking.

"What the hell are you thinking, baka?!?!" Kaien asked irritated.

"I'm thinking of a name," she answered. She heard her friends groaning and she didn't understand why. She heard Kaien sighing so she looked at him.

"It's _you_ Rukia! YOU have been my assistant for the last 8 months. Don't tell me you haven't realized that!" he said, irritated.

"M-me?" she looked at him with surprise. She felt a sudden happiness washing over her.

"Yup! You! Now what do you say? You, me and Italy!" he said pointing his finger between Rukia and himself. Rukia was over excited, she was going to Italy! She had always wanted to see it!

Suddenly she remembered Ichigo. She was going to leave him here. She wasn't sure if they really had a relationship, he didn't call all day. But she felt guilty and depressed for leaving him here. God knew how long it would take them to come back. What would Ichigo think? Would he want her to go or not to go? Did he even have a right to say anything? What were they anyway? Would he be upset because of her leaving?

She felt more and more confused and lost for every passing moment and thought. She didn't want to answer any of the questions. For once, she wanted to do what she had dreamed of and she wasn't ready to give up on her dream for Ichigo. Hell she didn't even know if he was worth giving up her dream. What if Hisagi and Renji were right? What if he would get tired of her easily? Wouldn't she feel bad to let an opportunity like that slip? And above all Ichigo was the one to push her to dream again and now she was dreaming again. So he would be happy for her wouldn't he? She took a deep breath. Oh, how _little_ she knew!

"I say we GO!!!!!" She cheered and jumped off her chair with her hand in the air making a victory sign with her fingers.

Shinji fell off his chair, Momo stopped breathing all together and Matsumoto's blood ran cold. Everyone was dumbfounded.

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**A/N:** I'm EVIL!!! Muwahahahahaha! But you still love me don't you?


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **not mine and you know it :)

**raBBit's nonsense talk **: I spent whole weekend mourning(the ones who read 267 will now what I'm talking about). my dear reader Kuchiki-zelda and I'm off to Japan to have Kubo Tite's balls off with a dull knife –_grins evilly-._ So I sat and wrote a new chapter for you because I needed to do something in order to occupy myself! Thanks to my beta aznjtgirl for saving my ass again. no warning for this chapter(and probably for the next). I hope you will enjoy…don't keep me waiting like I don't keep you waiting. R-E-V-I-E-W! you know how they affect me –_smiles and waves her hand_-

**I Crave Your Mouth, Your Voice, Your Hair**

DON'T GO FAR OFF, NOT EVEN FOR A DAY  
Don't go far off, not even for a day, because --  
because -- I don't know how to say it: a day is long  
and I will be waiting for you, as in an empty station  
when the trains are parked off somewhere else, asleep.

Don't leave me, even for an hour, because  
then the little drops of anguish will all run together,  
the smoke that roams looking for a home will drift  
into me, choking my lost heart.

Oh, may your silhouette never dissolve on the beach;  
may your eyelids never flutter into the empty distance.  
Don't leave me for a second, my dearest,

because in that moment you'll have gone so far  
I'll wander mazily over all the earth, asking,  
Will you come back? Will you leave me here, dying?

_I Crave Your Mouth, Your Voice, Your Hair_

The moment the staff door closed behind Rukia, Rangiku pounced on Kaien, grabbing him by the collar. She looked scary.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Shiba?" Rangiku hissed between clenched teeth. Shuuhei was holding her other arm to stop her, but she was very insistent. Kaien looked the other way, unable to meet her furious ice-blue orbs.

"I don't know what you are talking about," he said nonchalantly. She growled and pulled harder on his shirt.

"You know very well what the fuck I'm talking about!!!" Her voice was rising with every word. Shuuhei grabbed her by the waist and separated her from Kaien, who fixed his clothes.

"I'm afraid I don't know, Matsumoto." He said in a very un-Kaien like voice. He was dead serious.

"Just because you love her doesn't mean that you have the right to separate her from Ichigo!" She shouted. Kaien cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, since that point is obviously clear, I mean the part that I have…let's say _feelings_ for Rukia, what makes you think that I'm trying to _separate_ them?" he asked coolly, looking at the floor rather than anyone. He was wearing a wicked smile on his face, his hair blocking his eyes.

Truth be told, Shiba Kaien had been in love with Kuchiki Rukia for more than a year. But he never acted on his feelings because he didn't want to be a substitute for her previous love interests, namely Hisagi Shuuhei and Abarai Renji. Kaien always thought that Rukia needed time in order to realize what she _really_ wanted. When he met her, she was looking for protection. Then she started to look for comfort and now she was looking for love but she never gave up on the other things she looked for. Rukia was a strong girl, that was true but she was also very fragile. Being strong didn't mean that she was unbreakable.

Kaien realized that he had waited too long the moment he saw Kurosaki Ichigo. The only things that could save his ass were that the Ichigo boy would screw everything up or he would take her away. The second wouldn't be an option if that Ichigo boy and Rukia were _together._ He knew Rukia enough to understand that from the look in her eyes.

"You are trying to trick her into coming with you to the other side of the world!!!" Now Rangiku was furious. Shuuhei was really trying hard to control her struggling form.

"First of all, I'm not _tricking_ her into anything. Second, they are not together and you had better wake up and face the facts." He pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

"To hell they are!!!" She retorted back. "They were together last night and the night before!" she finished her ranting.

"Really? And where is the lover boy now? Has he called her? It's 6:38 pm." He said smirking. "Listen to me Rangiku and listen to me good; if they were_ together,_ as in a relationship, Rukia would _never ever_ accept my offer from the beginning. The pause before she answered me is your proof. She was thinking what her standing was with lover boy and from what you can see, she couldn't find any reliable answers to risk her future career…Is that clear?" he said uncrossing his arms and stuffing them in his pockets.

"No its NOT!!" She screamed back at him. He was awfully calm, "If you actually _let_ them, they would be together. You keep playing with her!!"

"Let them? I don't think Kurosaki needs my approval to be with her, don't you think? His incompetence is his and his alone. It's his fault that he still sees women from one dimension and in his case its two with the additional 'story of her' side. And I'm not playing with her, I never did and I never will. I have never treated anyone like I treated her. I never disrespected her. I could easily have taken advantage of her, you know I could. But I wanted her to make up her mind about what she wanted. Just because those two morons couldn't accomplish their goals doesn't mean that everyone is like them. To be honest…I was waiting for this day to come." He said looking directly into Rangiku's eyes, which were burning with intense hate and anger towards the raven haired man.

What he said was probably right but Rangiku didn't want to listen because if she agreed with him, he would become a good guy. She needed someone to blame and Kaien had too much of that bad boy image to come clean with considered actions such as _waiting_ for the girl of his dreams to come to her senses.

Everyone was silent. They were probably thinking the same thing; that Kaien was not the bastard he painted himself to be. They knew very little about him and they the entire time, they had been making assumptions about him, negative assumptions particularly, instead of trying to know him. Shuuhei felt guilty. They were doing the right thing supporting Ichigo, right?

"Just please let her have this, Kaien. I'm begging you," Rangiku said. She knew she was unfair, even for asking something like that. The man had deeper feelings than they had thought and it was obvious now. But that was all she could ask.

She wondered where Ichigo was. And hoped that he would be here to convince Rukia.

---------------------------

Ichigo was doing his grocery shopping when he bumped into Orihime and Ishida.

"Ohayo Kurosaki-kun!!!" Orihime cheered with a sweet voice. Ishida rolled his eyes next to her.

"Good morning Inoue, Ishida," He greeted them back.

"What are you doing here?" Orihime asked with curiosity, like Ichigo has never shopped for groceries in his life.

"Um…well…I'm shopping as you can see." He answered.

"Oh, how sweet! Are you going to cook for Rukia-Chan?" she asked, again curiously.

"R-Rukia? Well why would I cook for Rukia?" he asked with surprise in his voice.

"Oh, Uryuu cooks for me…he is a really good cook…and guys usually cook for the girls that they love!" she cheered, turned and rubbed her nose to Ishida's cheek, who was blushing deeply.

"Ah, that…Uhm…I…well it's for me, not for Rukia." He said, as cool as possible. Now why would he cook for Rukia? There were better things to spend time rather than cooking.

---------------------------------------

"I'm afraid I can't do that Matsumoto-san…if Ichigo is not here then he is not here. And don't think of it as keeping her away from you or anything. You know that's a huge thing for her career as a photographer, right?" Kaien asked.

"I'm not sure what to say…you are the very reason she chose to be a photographer." Rangiku said in a defeated voice.

"I know. And I will try to make her not to regret that decision for even one second." He said calmly. Come to think of it, letting Rukia go with Kaien wasn't that bad. She was going to see Italy, which she had wanted to see _forever_. Matsumoto sighed.

"I'm sorry Kaien," she sat on the nearest chair; her legs were shaking from all the adrenalin that was now fading from her system. "I just want her to be happy." And with that said they saw Rukia coming out of the staff door with huge smile on her face. She looked genuinely happy.

"Me too Ran-Chan, me too." He said and grabbed Rukia's backpack from her hand.

"So how long do we have before we leave?" Rukia asked curiously, her beautiful violet eyes shining with excitement. Kaien looked down at her and smiled.

"No worries, we still have a week!" he cheered.

"Then I say we go!!!" Rukia cheered back.

"Hai, Hai Captain!" he answered back enthusiastically and took her hand to lead her out. He then turned and waved back at the others. They looked sad but he couldn't care less. He was honest with everything he said and he would give his best to make her happy, like she was right now. They had lots of time together ahead of them.

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_CHAPTER 5_

_Until the day arrived on which I was to entertain my newfound old friends, I lived principally on Dora and coffee. In my love-lorn condition, my appetite languished; and I was glad of it, for I felt as thought it would have been an act of perfidy towards Dora to have a natural relish for my dinner… _

Ichigo continued writing with more focus now that he was thinking nothing but the characters. He wasn't Kurosaki Ichigo anymore.

--------------------------------

"Shit! Shit! Shit!!!" Yoruichi yelled, frustrated.

"I know, I know," Unohana Retsu said, trying to calm her friend.

"We are sending him away and he dares to take the girl WITH him!!!!" She yelled throwing her hands in the air. Soifon was sitting on the couch in Yoruichi's office with a hand over her mouth. She was still in shock.

"Is there nothing we can do?!?!" The woman with tanned skin asked.

"I'm afraid not. they already signed the contracts," Retsu said, clasping her hand in her lap.

"Cant you tell Byakuya to forbid her from going?" she offered.

"I can't do that Yoruichi, you know that," She said calmly.

"THEN FIND A FUCKING WAY OUT!!!!" She yelled.

"Well maybe we can tell Ichigo to ask her to stay," Soi-Fong suggested.

"And let him take my guts out?!" she retorted. "He will be furious if he finds out and trust me the last thing you want to face with is an angry Kurosaki Ichigo." She finished.

"Of course, we don't know him like you do." Retsu smiled.

"We need to find a away to keep Rukia here! And we have to do it now, there are three days left," Yoruichi said.

"I guess I can come up with something…you said he gave you the first three chapters of his new book, right?" Soi-Fong asked. Yoruichi nodded. "I guess I have an idea…give me two days, its going to be hard." She said slumping down on the couch. The Three women sighed at the same time.

They had to do something, and they had to do it quickly!

---------------------------------------

Rukia felt more frustrated than ever. She was expecting Ichigo to call her but it has been 4 days since she saw him last. Was he scared of her? Was he thinking that she had some serious problems and chose to stay away from her? He really didn't want to think about it but she couldn't take her mind off of Ichigo for the last few days.

She wanted to tell him that she was going to Italy to work with Kaien. She wanted to ask him so many questions that she kept forgetting the account.

"What are you thinking Kia-chan?" Rangiku asked from the other side of the stool.

"Nothing, really…I just wondered what Ichigo was doing." She said. Rangiku started to think that Ichigo was worse than Kaien about ignoring Rukia. She was very close to accepting that Kaien as more suitable for her, but then again she had some sort of hope that Ichigo would come out and stop her.

And truth be told, Rukia was hoping for the same thing. She wanted Ichigo to come and stop her. She wanted him to tell that they were together and that he would feel depressed if she left him here on his own. But she knew that this would never be the case.

The boy had a life before her and would probably have a life after her. She really didn't know him well enough to make predictions about him. He never told her his secrets or the weird legend going on about him. That was one of the main points that she had felt attracted towards him.

But she was starting to wonder what Ichigo was really thinking about her. She already told him what she thought about him. Maybe she was being too open and he was losing his interest in her. She didn't want to think about it anymore, she just wanted the day for her departure to come. She just wanted take off and forget about this place for sometime. Forget about Ichigo…

She felt broken inside. She told him about her biggest secret, that very few people knew in reality. He held her but where was he now? Was he hanging with some other girl or was he writing? _Writing…_

She never thought of that possibility before. He was probably writing a new chapter or something like that. She felt relieved after that thought. Really, it was easier to think of him forgetting her while writing. She knew it from her dad that authors literally lived in the latest book that they were writing.

But her father always found some time to be with her. He always read her a few chapters in the morning. He always ate his dinner with her, maybe not lunch or breakfast but dinners. Ichigo was not coming, not to mention calling. He could at least call, right?

Rukia didn't want to call him because she didn't want to create the expression of falling all over him like the other girls. She didn't want to abuse the fact that he gave her his number or the fact that she knew where his house was.

She decided to wait…wait until the day of her departure come. Maybe he wouldn't call and he wouldn't know that she was gone. Maybe he didn't care if she was gone or not…

Maybe…

-----------------------------

_There was a beggar in the street when I went down; and as I turned my head towards the window, thinking of her calm, seraphic eyes, he made me start by muttering, as if he were an echo of the morning:_

"_Blind! Blind! Blind!" _

Ichigo put the full-stop to the 7th chapter of his story. It was developing faster than he imagined and he was always overwhelmed by some emotion before he started to write and the words were flowing down on the paper.

Now he loved his typewriter more because it was not just a gift from his mother anymore but also it was a part of Rukia now. He was grateful that Rukia was so understanding about his writing habits. She knew it from her father and she understood it. If she were another girl, she would complain about him disappearing in every few days. She would nag about him not calling her and so on and so forth.

Today he had a plan. He was going to go and visit Rukia in the club. Maybe they would have a few drinks together and relax. He would tell her about his new book and the new characters he found few days ago…Dora was much like resembling Rukia for him. He had been influenced by Rukia while creating the character.

He decided to give Yoruichi a call to tell her that he finished 4 chapters to add the previous 3.

He simply dialed the number and threw himself on his couch. His back was hurting so bad that he was breathing hard sometimes. But that was a little price to pay. He barely slept for 4 days and he would sleep the most peaceful sleep, of course after he saw his Rukia tonight.

"_What?"_ The woman on the other side of the line asked in an icy voice.

"Is that how you greet you favorite writer Yoruichi-san?" Ichigo asked, smiling.

"_I-Ichigo!"_ she said.

"Y-Yeah!! Who were you expecting woman?" he asked, irritated.

"_Ah…no one!"_ she cheered. Ichigo felt that something was definitely wrong.

"I called to tell you that I finished chapter 7, you can come and take OR I can drop the file on my way." He said coolly.

"_WHAT?!?!...Ichigo tell me you weren't sitting on that desk for at least 3 days!" _she sounded panicked.

"Yup…actually for four days, since you left…No worries woman, my back aches a little but it will be good." he said happily. He was really satisfied with himself. He felt like a good writer and his ego was at its peak today.

"_Oh God! That cant be happening, what have I done to deserve this!!!!"_ Ichigo could hear her even though she sounded like she was at least 6 feet away from the speaker.

"Is there something wrong Yoruichi?" he asked curiously.

"_What? No…no nothing is wrong…so I guess you can drop by on your way to…where?" _

"Las Noches…I'm planning to pay a visit to Rukia." He said confidently.

"_Really?!?!? What took you so long, you moron?!?!"_ she yelled at him. Ichigo was dumbfounded. Why the hell she was yelling at him?

"Well I told you I was writing! And besides she doesn't care…she completely understands," He added.

"_Ichigo…tell me you at least called her once."_ Her voice was full of panic, Ichigo didn't understand why but he felt determined to find out. As soon as possible.

"Are you going to tell me whats wrong? Is it related with Rukia? Did something happen to her?" Now his voice was full with panic.

"_There is nothing wrong! But you should at least call the girl who you claim to have interest in!!! That's what I'm talking about!"_ She yelled again.

"Jeez woman, give me a break, ok? Its not like I said I'm going to marry her or something…we are just hanging." He reasoned.

"_Hanging? Yeah hanging…right! I hope you wont hang _yourself_ at the end of it!!"_ She snapped at him and slammed the phone down.

"Jeez that woman really lost it." He muttered to himself before collapsing on the couch to have a nap.

--------------------------------

The night came pretty fast and Ichigo was standing in the overcrowded room with people dancing around him. there was no way for him to find Rukia here and stay alive at the same time.

He tried to find his way to the bar. A few girls jumped on him on his way and tried convince him to dance with them. There was no way he would dance with any of them!

Suddenly he spotted a girl with a short black strapless dress. Her hair was falling down from her shoulders and she was wearing black high-heeled shoes, which complemented her long legs and nice ass. Ichigo realized that the said girl was Rukia and she was talking with a customer. A very handsome looking one, mind you. He felt jealous that she was hanging out with those types of guys when she was away from him. He didn't want to think the other possibilities like one day some of those guys would come and take her away from him.

He slowly approached behind and put a hand on her bare shoulder. She looked up at him with those beautiful violet eyes. She had a shocked expression on her face though he didn't know why.

"Will you excuse me Richard?" she asked politely, the man nodded with a genuine smile on his face.

She turned and signaled Ichigo to follow her. Ichigo reached to hold her hand but she was walking fast, so he kept following. They went into a VIP room on the top floor, looking down at the crazy people dancing below them. The music was loud and he wondered how he would be able to hear her. She closed the door behind and the noise lowered nearly to nothing.

"Um…this is one of the VIP rooms…I thought we could hear each other better. It's crazy down there." she said, trying to smile.

She passed Ichigo without having any physical contact. Ichigo wondered what the hell was wrong. She was acting cold and distanced. He was not expecting her to jump on him but he wasn't expecting her to be this distanced. He slowly approached her and sat next to her. The moment he sat, Rukia jumped on her feet and stood in front of her. She looked very nervous.

"Rukia is there something wrong?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Well that depends on how you look at it." She said forcing a smile on her face again._ This can't be good_, Ichigo thought.

"Care to explain?" he asked. She crossed her arms on her chest and looked away from the window of the soundproof VIP room. She looked very beautiful in that small black dress. It was complimenting her curves and legs, Ichigo thought. But he couldn't afford to be distracted by that right now. He has to learn what was wrong. Maybe she was angry with him for not calling.

"Ichigo…" her voice trembled, "where do we stand?" she asked. Ichigo looked at her with a lost impression.

"Uhmm…what do you mean?" he felt uncomfortable for not getting what she meant.

"I mean how do we name our current situation?" she rephrased her question.

"Ouch, you talk like a politician!" he said smirking. He stood and walked towards her but she stepped back.

"I asked you a serious question." She was more serious than ever. She looked detached and she stood strong in front of him. She wasn't like the girl he held in his arms few days ago.

"To be honest I don't know…do we really have to decide that now?" he asked. Rukia felt like her heart was shattering into million pieces. He didn't care what she was feeling, he wasn't even sure if he felt something and now he was standing here in front of her telling her to talk about that later!

"No we can't… I just wanted to be sure that I made the right decision." She said coolly looking at him directly in the eye.

"What do you mean by 'right decision'? Rukia what the Hell?!? Why are you pestering me with those questions? Its just…Don't ask me about the things I don't know…I…I'm sure we can talk about it later…look I came here to see you and talk abo-." But he was cut off by her hand signaling him to stop. So he did.

"I don't want to hear it" she shook her head, "I'm leaving Ichigo."

"What?!?!" he asked panicking. Was she leaving him? Was she going somewhere different? He felt his heart tightening painfully. He wanted to jump on her and tell her she was going nowhere until he let her. He took a deep breath; his hands were clenched in tight fists at his sides.

"I'm leaving for Italy in 3 days." She answered coolly.

"I see…and when will you be turning back?" he asked trying to control his shaking voice but failing.

"It will take at least two months…Kaien got an offer and he's taking me with him as his assistance." She said with a softer voice. Ichigo felt like he was about to kill someone. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. That fucking bastard was trying to take her away from him. Rukia belonged to him and only him! How dare he come and offer such a thing!

"I see…I got it…you can go, its not like you're asking me anyway." He said trying to sound indifferent.

"That's the exact reason why I _pestered_, as you so affectionately called, you with those questions. I want you to know that I accepted his offer because of the same reason…I thought about it and couldn't come up with an answer. If we had a relationship or if you knew at least what was going on then I would never say yes." She said, looking at the floor and hugging herself tightly.

"I just…never mind…so what do you say?" she asked.

"Because in that moment you'll have gone so far

I'll wander mazily over all the earth, asking,

Will you come back? Will you leave me here, dying?" he whispered very low.

"Sorry, I can't hear you," she said looking at his face.

"I said; Rukia we just met few weeks ago and its something related with your life, your future. You can't simply say 'I would say no'…If it's your dream then chase it!" His voice was rising with every word. He was very angry. At himself, at Kaien, at Rukia. He couldn't keep her away from her dream right? He didn't have the right to do so…he was just a boy who was…who was what? He didn't even know the answer.

All he knew that there was a huge feeling of loss in his heart. It was like his world was spinning really fast and he was losing his ground. He wanted to lay there and wait for her return. Hell he didn't want her to leave but couldn't bring himself to tell her. Because she would ask why and how was he supposed to answer that? Because I love you? No it wasn't a good answer…at least at that point he wasn't sure if it was even an honest answer.

Suddenly he realized that this was an end. If she went there with Kaien, she would return as his _girlfriend_ or worse _lover_. He didn't even want to think about it. Rukia was going away from him with another man who was in love with her. And the worse thing was that Kaien was capable of giving her the answers that she wanted, no needed.

Ichigo wanted to go home and sleep until this nightmare was over. He wanted to close his curtains, crawl up on his bed and sleep for days, weeks, months…right up until she came back.

"So I see…" she whispered, she took a step forward and hugged Ichigo. "Take care of yourself Ichigo, I will miss you." She said kissing his cheek. He couldn't move a muscle. Her intoxicating scent was filling his nostrils and paralyzing his brain. He managed to hold her by the waist and hugged her back.

"You take care of yourself too nymph, I will be here when you turn back so don't forget to drop by and say hi." He whispered back at her while holding her. This was his last chance to hold her this close because when she turned back she would be someone else's, not his. This was entirely his fault. Why didn't he come up and tell her that she belongs to him and that of course they were having a relationship. Why was he being a coward? Or was it his damn pride?

He never felt this depressed in his life. The feeling of loss was growing with each passing minute. They stood there for minutes or maybe hours, holding each other. He didn't want to say goodbye. He didn't want to let her go. He wondered who offered the job to Kaien. At least he would have a target to direct his anger.

"Rukia…who offered the job?"

"Oh, I guess Soi-Fong recommended Kaien to them." she said, stepping back, breaking their special bond. Ichigo felt the coolness of the room hit his chest where Rukia had been minutes ago but at the same time, anger was burning in him.

He was going to kill someone. And that lucky someone happened to be his one and only Bitch-in-Action editor. She was the one who was responsible…and she would pay for it. He smiled evilly.

Rukia was going nowhere if he could help it.

------------------

**raBBit's bla bla:** the poem belongs to one and only Pablo Neruda and Ichigo's line is a quote as you can guess… you also know that I quote the real David Copperfield of Charles Dickens word by word as Ichigo's new book. So a little information on the character Dora(which Ichigo identifies Rukia with): **Spenlow, Dora** is daughter of David's employer, Francis. She and David are married and David tries to teach her to keep house, but she has no head for it. She becomes ill with an unspecified illness and dies young. Dickens based Dora on Maria Beadnell, his first love. She is a raven haired beautiful lady in the book so I thought it would be good to use her as Rukia if I'm taking paragraphs off from the real David Copperfield story. I hope you liked it. _–disappears in the night with Kuchiki-zelda by her side-_ Have no fear! We will make him pay! Muwhahahahaha!

**Beta-reader note: **Hihiiii! I wanted to say that editing this for jackrabbit is awesome. She's an intense writer don't you agree? And if you have any objections to my editing, feel free to PM me. --aznjtgirl


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **not mine!

**raBBit's nonsense talk **: I'm so sorry for the delay guys but I had few things to do this week And when I was ready my lovely beta-reader had her things to do. All in all we are sorry. You know I like to update soon and stuff so…I hope you like this one, it was hard to write this one but next will be…Well I won't spoil it for you! I am a good bunny _-scratches her white long ears- _SO as always you read and review and I write! Now GO!!!!

I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You

I do not love you except because I love you;  
I go from loving to not loving you,  
From waiting to not waiting for you  
My heart moves from cold to fire.

I love you only because it's you the one I love;  
I hate you deeply, and hating you  
Bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you  
Is that I do not see you but love you blindly.

Maybe January light will consume  
My heart with its cruel  
Ray, stealing my key to true calm.

In this part of the story I am the one who  
Dies, the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,  
Because I love you, Love, in fire and blood.

Pablo Neruda

_I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You_

The moment the heavy steel doors of the elevator opened Umi knew that today would be a bad day. Here was Kurosaki Ichigo, standing in front of her with anger burning in his eyes. The whole company thought that he was a very handsome and sexy man and the girls always looked forward to his arrival but today he was different.

"O-Ohayo Kurosaki-san!!" Umi tried to force the words out her mouth. Ichigo stepped out of the elevator. His jaw was tight and his hands were in fists. Umi thought that he looked like he was restraining himself from doing something bad.

As soon as he got out of the elevator he turned to left and started to walk towards Yoruichi's office. Umi was running after him with a few other secretaries, namely Urahara's and Yoruichi's personal assistants.

"Kurosaki-san! Wait!! You can't get in there!!!" Umi shouted behind him. He continued to walk without hesitation or even stopping for a second.

"Kurosaki-kun I have to warn Yoruichi-sama!!!" He heard Yoruichi's personal assistant shouting.

He burst into Yoruichi's office without so much as a knock. Urahara was sitting with her in her office, drinking coffee peacefully.

"Oh, Ichigo is here!!! We were just tal-." Before he could finish his sentence, Ichigo grabbed Urahara by the collar and kicked him out the office. He shut the door with a loud bang and stride towards Yoruichi.

He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her towards him, their faces was inches away from each other. Yoruichi could see the hell burning in his eyes and she understood what was going on. It was the very thing that she was telling to her friends.

Ichigo grabbed her phone and slammed it on her desk, in front of her so forcefully that she thought that her phone was going to shattered into pieces.

"Listen to me woman…" he hissed. She could feel his hot breath on her face. She would like to have Kisuke in the room incase something happened and he went wild, but no, Ichigo had already taken care of that fact and that scared Yoruichi even more. This was dangerous. She always thought that he had some evil-demon side that no one would be able to hold back, but now she thought that he had every right to be angry. In fact, she was angry with herself too.

"You don't have to scare the shit out of me in order to make your point Ichigo," she said calmly, but she was not calm by any means. He took his hand away from her shoulder and stood stiff in front of her desk. Thank god she was_ behind_ the desk. She loved her desk more than ever now.

"If the girl goes to fucking Italy with that Kaien, I will turn Japan upside down and give you a living hell. Do you understand?" he asked with a very serious. She could hear the dangerous undertone and shuddered inwardly. "So you better call who ever the fuck you will call and make her stay here or else I swear upon my mother's grave I will make you pay for it until my last breath." He finished, looking directly in her yellowish eyes.

"I'm already working on it, you don't have to worry," she said trying to assure the boy. But suddenly she saw her phone flying off of her table and loudly crushing on her plasma TV on the wall.

"DAMN IT WOMAN! THE LAST TIME YOU ASSURED ME LIKE THAT WAS WHEN YOU GAVE RUKIA TO KAIEN WITH YOUR OWN HANDS!!!!!" He was out of his mind, Yoruichi could see it.

"Calm down Ichigo, I told you we are trying to find a way." She sat on her chair carefully, not to make the boy more irritated than he was now.

"WE?!?!" he asked.

"Well yes, Soi-Fong is trying to cancel Rukia's contract right now because she already signed it and if she can help it, Rukia will stay here." Her voice got lower with every word.

Normally, Yoruichi was not a woman who would submit to another's will, but Kurosaki Ichigo was different and if he was swearing on his mother's grave that was more serious than the next world war.

"Soi-Fong…I knew it…I'm going to kill her." he was panting heavily, like he ran 100 miles to get there.

"If I were you, I would postpone that thought for now." She smirked. But it slid off of her face with one look from Ichigo.

"You have ONE day, Yoruichi…or else I will take the matters in hand and I promise that you won't be happy with the result." With that said he stormed out of her office and banged every door he shut behind him. Now the heavy glass door of the main entrance was cracked.

Everyone sighed with relief, including Umi. She wondered what made her beloved Ichigo that mad. She had a crush on him for a year now and she just wished to know him earlier back in the days when he was interested in women. Maybe then, she could make him pay attention to her.

She sighed and sat on her chair, put on her headphones and started to answer phone calls again. She could dream as much as she wanted when her shift was over but now she had to work to be good enough for him.

----------------

Rukia was packing her bags and Rangiku was helping her. She tried to stuff every piece of clothing she had in that bags so that she wouldn't need anything.

"Are you sure you want to do this Kia-Chan?" Matsumoto asked with concern in her voice. Her raven haired friend was not good for the last few days. She understood the reason. It was because she wasn't sure about what to do related with Ichigo.

Rangiku guessed that she wanted to stay here but also she didn't want to make Ichigo think that she stayed here because of him. She wanted to stay here because of him and she wasn't ready to say that aloud, but Rangiku understood. She knew her friend better than anyone.

"Yeah I'm sure why do you keep asking anyway?" She was trying to find her swimsuit in her drawers. Rangiku walked towards her and put her hands on Rukia's shoulder and turned her around.

"Because I'm not sure that this is what you want."

"Its not like I'm going there to be with Kaien," she pointed out.

"No, but you _are_ trying to runaway from Ichigo."

"Oh, please!!! The boy has no idea what he wants. He's worse than a bipolar Nanao! One night he's snogging me senseless and the next he doesn't even bother to call!" Rukia shouted.

"So that's the exact thing that bothers you Rukia…You want him to come up and say that he loves you but I guess you are asking too much. He has never been in a serious relationship before, so probably he doesn't know how to act properly."

"I'm not one of his fangirls who throws herself at him, so he had better learn how to treat a normal person!!" Rukia was mad now. She knew not to expect the words of love from him; hell she wasn't even ready to say them even though she was sure of her feelings. _Fear of Rejection?_ The voice asked. _SHUT THE HELL UP!!! _Even thinking of Kurosaki Ichigo was enough to make her blood boil with anger now.

"Yeah and that's the exact reason why he is so lost. He's too proud to ask Hisagi or Renji about you and he's also too private to discuss his 'girl issues' with his other friends. And also, you aren't the type of girl he is used to. He doesn't know how to act around you; he doesn't know what pleases you and what doesn't. Give him sometime. It's not that he is a bad boy or something, he just needs to come to terms with his feelings and probably there is some sort of feeling lying beneath it all that's stopping him from doing it." Matsumoto did her best to explain. She went and sat on the bed with Rukia next to her.

"I don't know Ran-Chan. I want to be with him but at the same time I don't want to be with him. He just turns my inner world upside down and it's got me so…disoriented," she said in a defeated tone.

"That what they call love Kia-Chan." She hugged Rukia tightly to her chest.

"And when I'm with him all I want is for him to touch me. I try hard control myself…its just I want him in a very…_unorthodox, inappropriate_ way. And I feel like it's not me because I have never felt those kinds of things towards anyone. Not even Renji or Kaien…"

"And darling, that's what they call lust. There is a fine line between love and lust and I have to warn you that you should be more precise about which one is yours…do you want him physically or do you just want him for everything?" she asked.

"What do you think?"

"I guess you have both. You love him and desire him at the same time. Well I think he awakened the _woman_ in you…every girl has someone like that, it can be a celebrity or a daily life person. It can be a friend or a teacher who knows…its just that this person makes you hear the call of your basic instincts and to be honest Kurosaki Ichigo is a very good choice for that. I have to admit that the boy has the body and the attitude to attract any girl towards him…I just wonder why you are attracted towards him? I know you like to torture yourself but…"

"I don't know either. He looks like every man I felt attracted towards but in truth, he is quite different. He is not afraid of showing his desires or acting upon them, unlike any man I know. He is arrogant but yet he cares about your feelings. He is proud and he is stubborn. He doesn't come up and admit that he did wrong or he wanted it to be different but he goes out and looks for the thing to make it right. Like the time I kissed him…he didn't call me for days but then he came to the dinner and hung out with me and from what I know he doesn't like to share his personal moments with others. I don't know, like making it up to me or making his friends understand that he has a 'thing' for me…It was pretty obvious that he was trying to get on my good side, again." She smiled at Rangiku and Rangiku smiled back.

"Yeah I got your point…what did he say last night? Did he tell you not to go? Did he ask you to stay? Did he tell you that you two have a relationship?"

"He told me to chase my dreams and that we met few weeks ago so that it wont worth to push such a thing and that he will be here when I'm back so that I wont forget to stop by and say hi." She said, her big beautiful eyes were staring at Rangiku's with expectancy.

She didn't know what to say. Rukia was a strong girl, she would get over it but Rangiku didn't want her to get over it because every time she was getting over something she was bottling up the emotions and closing herself in a box. She didn't want it to happen again. Sure, she would recover with time but she wanted her to live the real anger and hurt and dump those feelings on her, she was her best friend, damn it and she would taking things out of her by force.

"But he asked who offered the job to Kaien…" ah so that was it, huh? Rangiku knew what would happen next like the back of her hand. Rukia was going nowhere.

"Really? And you told him who?"

"Soi-Fong, of course." Yup, her friend was in a long stay in Tokyo!

"Hmmm…well…if I were you I would unpack my bags…I don't think you're going anywhere Rukia-Chan." She said cheerfully and jumped off the bed.

"Wait what the hell do you mean, Rangiku?!?!?" she shouted after a Rangiku who was bouncing up and down while running towards her kitchen.

"I'm gonna make some tea, would you like to drink with me?" she asked from the kitchen. Rukia sighed. What the hell was that suppose to mean anyway?

-------------------------

Ichigo was lying on his bed and thinking about how to approach this delicate issue. He was sure that Yoruichi would stop Rukia from going but he wasn't sure how she was going to react about that? Was she going to be happy because she was staying here or was she going to be upset because she was not going there with Kaien?

He wanted to call Rukia so desperately that his hand itched towards his phone. But it was stupid to call her because she was probably packing her bags now. There were two days left for her departure. He felt that he missed her a little bit more than he should. He didn't see her for four days and when he finally saw her, she told him that she was leaving him here, alone. How was he supposed to deal with it anyway? She came to his life embedded herself into his memories and into his personal space and now she was leaving off with another guy…

Ichigo felt that these kinds of thought were not helping him to calm down. On the contrary, they were making him more furious. So he decided to call Rukia in order to test waters, to hear her voice for any hint of sadness or happiness; though he wanted to find sadness he couldn't bring himself to admit it because that would make him a selfish bastard.

"_Moshi moshi!"_ A very cheerful Rukia answered the phone. Ichigo felt down the moment he heard her voice so cheerful.

"_Ran-Chan, stop it will you!!!!"_ He heard her shouting with laughter in her tone. What the hell Matsumoto was doing there anyway?

"Uhmmm…whats going on in there?" he asked.

"_Ichigo?!?"_ she answered with shock in her voice.

"Yeah is it that odd for me to call?"

"_I guess so…whats the occasion?"_ she asked. Ichigo felt irritated. Why the hell was she acting like he was not caring? _Maybe because you act like you don't care?_ The voice offered. He showed his fist to it and it disappeared.

"Nah, nothing I just wanted to ask how your preparations are going…," he felt himself blushing, "and if you need any help…" Why the hell was his heart beating faster than ever? It wasn't like he was asking her to go out or something! _Wait…ask her out for a dinner, she might not prepare anything maybe because of her preparations!_ For once, he was grateful for that super irritating voice.

"_Uhmm…Actually Rangiku helped a lot…but thanks for asking anyway_." She was acting all cool and uncaring. Ichigo's blood boiled. He wanted her to care, to feel that his heart was broken…that he was lost.

"Ok then maybe we will have dinner…you must be exhausted." He offered with a sweet voice.

"_Oh, I would love to but I promised Nii-sama and Unohana-san to have dinner with them since that's my last night."_

"Wait! that's not your last night…you still have two days don't you?" Rukia sensed panic in his voice. Why the hell was he panicking anyway?

"_Well I have tomorrow and the next by 12 a.m I will be gone_," she answered. That would make one and a half days.

"I was expecting to see you before you leave…," he said with a low voice.

"_Well I have two hours between 4 p.m and 6 p.m tomorrow,"_ she offered.

"ok…there is something I would like to give you…oh, and by the way what are you going to do with Chappy…If you want I can take him, sometimes its too lonely in here anyway."

"_Thank you for the offer but Shuuhei has a bigger house and he knows him. He wont feel abandoned," _she answered genuinely.

"If you say so…then I will call you tomorrow, ok?"

"_Ok…thanks for the offer anyway."_ He could hear her smile.

They shut the phones at the same time. She had one and a half days left in Japan and he was sitting on his ass waiting for her to spare some time for him. This was insane. Kurosaki Ichigo has never waited for a woman. Neither had he ever felt this uncomfortable in his own skin. He was totally lost within the thought of her to even grasp the reality that lay behind her speech. The very fact that she didn't want to see him or want to spend time with him.

-------------------------------

"Well why did he call?" Rangiku asked.

"He asked if I need help with packing," she said with a sad voice.

"Really? He is great actor if you ask me…I mean knowing that you are not going anywhere and asking you if you need help…he is good, I have to admit."

"Nah, its not like what you think." Rukia buried his head in her hands and sat down on her floor. Chappy was rubbing his head to her legs. He was trying to console her.

"Mark my words…_something_ will come up and you wont be going anywhere…expect it from Soi-Fong or Yoruichi." Rangiku said confidently, joining her friend on the floor.

---------------

"Ichigooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" he heard his father's scream and ducked his flying kick before it even reached his face. He was lying on his bed with his eyes closed and suddenly the old goat burst in.

"What the hell are you doing here old man?!?!" he was furious.

"Well I have news for you!!!!" Ichigo quirked and eyebrow.

"Pray tell; I'm dying to know." He acted like he was going to faint and in split seconds he was back in his cool serious self.

"We are going out for dinner with Yoruichi, Urahara and Soi-Fong!!!!" His father cheered. He was sick of the old man's attitude.

"Didn't I take away your key? How did you get in?!?" he asked curiously, crossing his arms on his chest.

"I had a copy made in case you took it away!!!" he said while trying to punch his son. Ichigo avoided the punch and his father ended up punching the wall, and screaming in pain.

"S-So what do you say son?" he asked rubbing his knuckles, his voice trembling.

"Do I have choice?" he asked still in the same pose.

"I guess not!" he said and tried to hug his son but he ended up falling on his bed face first. Ichigo sighed and shook his head.

"Well ok then…now get the hell out of here so that I can get prepared," he said opening his bathroom door and disappearing behind it.

---------------------

"So where are you going to stay when you arrive at Italy?" her Nii-sama asked with his trademark cold tone. They were sitting around a mahogany table with cream colored silk table clothes on.

"There is a flat that they are going to give Kaien-dono during his stay." She was sipping her red wine and fingering one of her many forks.

They were in Seireitei the most expensive and 'club members only' restaurant in Tokyo. Normally, you would have to have made reservations months before but Kuchiki Byakuya could find a table even if he appeared out of nowhere. He was a well-known and generous customer so he had privileges.

"And you would be staying where exactly?" he asked like he couldn't catch what she said. Rukia gulped. She knew that his brother would not approve of her staying in the same flat with Kaien.

"She will be staying with Kaien if I'm not mistaken, right Rukia?" Unohana Retsu asked with a gentle voice.

"Uhmmm….yes." Rukia answered blushing.

-----------------------

His father gave the car to a boy at the entrance of the restaurant. They were going to have a dinner at Seireitei. He loved the special chicken that they made.

They stood in the hallway waiting for Yoruichi and others. The reservation was for Urahara's name. They appeared after fifteen minutes of waiting. Yoruichi came with Urahara on her arm and Soi-Fong followed them, a few steps behind.

They followed the waiter to their table but suddenly, they stopped with a shriek that came from Soi-Fong. Ichigo turned to see her hugging a very peaceful looking Unohana Retsu. His senses started to work full force to catch Rukia's smell or her sight. She told him that she was going out for dinner with her Nii-sama and Unohana-san.

Then he saw her standing there when Soi-Fong released her death grip on Unohana. She was wearing a pastel yellow silk dress with a deep V-neck and the dress was sleeveless. It had a soft flow on her curves and she was wearing high-heeled shoes with a cream base and little yellow roses on it. He saw her smiling at Soi-Fong but she didn't acknowledge Ichigo. His dad stepped out from behind and said hi to everyone. And then everyone was engaged in a conversation except Kuchiki Byakuya who was staring at Ichigo with an intensity he had never been submitted to.

"Oh, well why don't you join us?" Unohana asked. Ichigo heard Byakuya snorting, as if possible.

"Maybe we should leave you alone; after all, it _is_ Rukia's last night." Ichigo offered from behind. Rukia's eyes snapped at this and she looked directly at Ichigo. She hadn't realized his presence neither she saw him. Ichigo saw her surprised look and smiled at her.

"No,no,no! I have a very important thing to discuss with you and there couldn't be a better time or a place to do it!" Soi-Fong cheered. Ichigo wondered what the hell she was planning. He didn't want to be in the same place with Rukia when she learned that she wasn't going anywhere.

And with that said they all sat around a bigger table together. Of course, they made Ichigo sit next to Rukia who was blushing prettily. She really looked gorgeous tonight. He didn't know what he would do if they weren't in a place like that or under the supervision of elders.

"So!" Soi-Fong tried to get everyone's attention from their individual thoughts. "I have news for Rukia-Chan!" Her voice sounded extremely cheerful. Rukia realized that she didn't like the excited tone of her and to be honest, she was already suspected something because of Rangiku's lecture.

"Really?" Rukia asked tentatively. Ichigo's hand was millimeters away from Rukia. He was about to grab it to hold it but he stopped himself before he made a mistake and made her understand that he knew what was coming.

"Yeah…well…since Ichigo is writing his new book, as the editor of Glory, I decided to make an interview with him!" she cheered. Ichigo's jaw dropped on the table. Rukia's eyes were as big as the moon and confused as ever

"Uhmmm…" she scratched her head uncomfortably, "why is it news for me?" she asked, her voice trembling like a child who was faced with the boogie man.

"Oh, you will be taking the pictures! And of course in this months episode we will be preparing a new catalog for GAP and they wanted Ichigo as their new face for the new collection since he has his own style and devilish look with that handsome face." Ichigo had to pinch himself to make a distinction between reality and this nightmare. Soi-Fong was talking with such affection in her voice that it scared him. On the other hand, Rukia had the face of a deer that got caught in the headlights. She looked scared and perplexed

"Oh…I'm afraid I'm going to Italy…I-I thought you know that," Rukia said trying to sound cool.

"Oh, no…Of course I knew it so I called Gorgio and I said that I needed you here. He said he wouldn't mind as long as he had Kaien and I talked to GAP management and they felt thrilled to work with you…really you shouldn't follow in Kaien's shadow. You are a talent on your own; you should develop your own style. That's what Retsu-Chan always says." She smiled at her, popping a piece of chicken in her mouth and chewing on it intently.

Rukia didn't know what to do. She wanted to jump up and down with happiness but at the same time, she wanted to run away and cry in a corner. She was not going and she felt happy because of it but she felt sad that Ichigo didn't tell her personally that he didn't want her to go but he went and probably threatened the shit out of poor Soi-Fong to arrange this. What the hell was she getting herself into anyway?

"Ok…lets see If I get this…I'm giving an interview to your stupid women's magazine and then will pose for a fashion catalog?!?!" Ichigo was furious. How could she do something like that without asking him?

"Yes." She answered very firmly. He felt Yoruichi's kick under the table and looked at her, arching an eyebrow."

"Well you could ask _me_ before you deal with them." Ichigo said with an irritated tone, looking directly at Soi-Fong. She looked scared. _And now he is acting like he didn't know since the beginning, huh?_ Rukia thought.

"Uhmm…I asked Yoruichi-sama and she said that you would be available and would love to do it," she said innocently. Yoruichi looked at Ichigo daring him to question her. So Ichigo gave up and went back to his meal.

The rest of the meal went by in a blur. He didn't remember much of it anyway. His mind was focusing on the fact that he had to work with Rukia. And that now she probably had an idea that he might be the cause of her sadness.

After the desert and rum, they left their table to finish the night. In the great hall everyone was hugging each other except Byakuya, of course, who was still staring at Ichigo rather intently.

"It was a great pleasure to have dinner with you ladies," Byakuya said and he bowed. The women giggled and bowed back. Women really liked guys like Kuchiki Byakuya didn't they?

Before he could turn and say good-bye to Rukia he felt someone tugging at his shirt's sleeve. He turned to see Rukia looking at him with a stern face. She then turned to the crowd.

"I will be dropping by Ichigo...we have few things to discuss if we are going to be working together, right?" She looked at Ichigo, her eyes daring him to say no.

"Yeah…I guess we do have to, don't we?" He gulped. He knew what was coming and that was not good at all.

They waved at the elders and waited for Rukia's car to arrive. A black Lexus stopped in front of them. Ichigo arched an eyebrow.

"The last time I checked you were driving a mustang," he said smirking.

"Gift from Nii-sama…now hop in." she said coldly.

Ichigo looked at the roads that they were crossing. They were not the ones to his house and Rukia next to him wasn't making any sound, not even breathing. That was scary.

"Where are we going Rukia?" he asked nervously. He knew a furious female might be the death of the most courageous knight.

"To my house." She answered simply, without looking at him.

He gulped and snuggled deeper into his seat and tightened his seatbelt. This was going to be a long night.

------------------

**raBBit's bla bla: **I guess I wont be able to write a single chapter without a poem…so what do you think guys and girls? And tell me what do you expect to see in the next chapter! The half of the next chapter is written so no worries I will update sooner than you imagine.

**BR's note**: teehee…this story is getting sooo good. Hahhahah don't you think so? Sorry for making you guys wait, it would have been up sooner but I had to go away this weekend. Yay for updates though, right?


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **not mine!

**raBBit's nonsense talk:** Well as I promised(and wrote when I was replying your reviews) here is your fast update. It's longer than usual and I hope you will like it. The rating goes up to be on the safe side but don't expect much:) Thanks for every review and you know that I try to answer all of them(which takes quite sometime but it worth) they make my day and keep me writing; but you already know that. my huge thanks goes to my Beta! she is awsome and fast as myself, so you better cheer for her too!

**And because Love battles**

And because love battles  
not only in its burning agricultures  
but also in the mouth of men and women,  
I will finish off by taking the path away  
to those who between my chest and your fragrance  
want to interpose their obscure plant.

About me, nothing worse  
they will tell you, my love,  
than what I told you.

I lived in the prairies  
before I got to know you  
and I did not wait love but I was  
laying in wait for and I jumped on the rose.

What more can they tell you?  
I am neither good nor bad but a man,  
and they will then associate the danger  
of my life, which you know  
and which with your passion you shared.

And good, this danger  
is danger of love, of complete love  
for all life,  
for all lives,  
and if this love brings us  
the death and the prisons,  
I am sure that your big eyes,  
as when I kiss them,  
will then close with pride,  
into double pride, love,  
with your pride and my pride.

And I in these lines say:  
Like this I want you, love,  
love, Like this I love you,  
as you dress  
and how your hair lifts up  
and how your mouth smiles,  
light as the water  
of the spring upon the pure stones,  
Like this I love you, beloved.

To bread I do not ask to teach me  
but only not to lack during every day of life.  
I don't know anything about light, from where  
it comes nor where it goes,  
I only want the light to light up,  
I do not ask to the night  
explanations,  
I wait for it and it envelops me,  
And so you, bread and light  
And shadow are.

You came to my life  
with what you were bringing,  
made  
of light and bread and shadow I expected you,  
and Like this I need you,  
Like this I love you,  
and to those who want to hear tomorrow  
that which I will not tell them, let them read it here,  
and let them back off today because it is early  
for these arguments.

Tomorrow we will only give them  
a leaf of the tree of our love, a leaf  
which will fall on the earth  
like if it had been made by our lips  
like a kiss which falls  
from our invincible heights  
to show the fire and the tenderness  
of a true love.

Pablo Neruda

_And because Love battles_

She unlocked her door without hesitation and let Ichigo in. It was raining outside and their clothes were wet from their walk to her apartment. The moment they entered her hallway, Chappy jumped on her and rubbed his face on her silk dress. And then he greeted Ichigo by sniffing him. Normally Chappy never liked other "males". He felt offended by their presence and he didn't want to share his mistress, but this orange-haired "male" smelled different. Chappy stood there looking directly into Ichigo's face.

Ichigo was irritated by the look of the dog. His frown was deeper now because of what the dog might be thinking about him. He knew that dogs had some supersensitive senses. He stepped to the left but the dog moved with him and he heard it growling.

"You should wait until he tries to intimidate you." Rukia looked at him from the other side of the room with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Why the hell does he want to intimidate me?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Because as a male, you are a threat to his 'territory'," she said. She smiled smugly and turned away.

"Hey where are you going?!?"

"Don't worry; he hasn't eaten anyone…yet. I'm going to find some dry clothes for us. When he steps away you can come further in and sit wherever you want." She turned and left the room. Ichigo used this time to look around him.

Her flat was not as large as his was, but it had it's own cozy feeling. There were two armchairs facing each other in front of her huge window and there was a coffee table in between them. Her couch was facing her TV and the rest of the room was occupied by her small kitchen, which was filled with wooden kitchen cabinets. The room was under the dominance of dark red and dark brown with velvet, leather and mahogany. There was an oriental rug on the floor and the rest of the floor was parquet. All in all, this part of the house was small and cozy. Now he started to wonder about the other rooms in the flat. He was sure her room was behind those double wooden doors.

He realized that the dog was not standing in front of him anymore but he was rolling on his back on the Oriental rug. Ichigo scratched the dog's head.

"Well I told you to get in, didn't I?" Rukia came out of the room with her dark blue silk pajama pants and a white sleeveless shirt on top. Ichigo could see the straps of her dark blue bra. He quirked an eyebrow. Rukia saw it and tossed the things in her hand at him.

"You better change into those clothes or else you will catch a cold. The bathroom is the door on left." She pointed her finger towards her door. Ichigo looked at the clothes in his hands; there was a black cotton t-shirt with black sweat pants. He took his jacket off and threw it over her couch and walked towards her while taking his shirt off. He stopped in front of her, close enough to smell her but far enough to let her see him.

Rukia felt her body burning with something she hadn't experienced before. Here he was standing in front of her with his shirt off and looking at her intently. She took a deep breath to calm herself but it didn't working. Her heart was like a caged bird. She tried to avert her gaze from his upper part but all she could do was to look at him directly in the face. She saw something burning in his brown eyes. It was scary but thrilling at the same time because she didn't know what it was exactly. Her mouth went dry and suddenly she realized that changing clothes was not a good idea, much less bringing him into her home. Its not that she was afraid of him but she didn't know what would happen if they 'collided'. She thought that their chemistry was an explosive one and she didn't want to know the result.

"Am I to be punished for something I don't know?" he asked smirking.

"If I wanted to punish you I would leave you in those wet clothes and let Chappy rub himself all over you so that you would end up smelling like wet dog," she answered back and jumped on her couch, trying to act cool.

He walked towards her room but he didn't enter. He just stood in front of it and watched Rukia's back. She was leaning on her couch with her arm over her eyes. Ichigo took his pants off without hesitation and pulled the sweatpants on. She was too busy to turn around and see him. Then he walked and sat next to her, stretch his long legs and sitting in a comfortable position.

"So?" he asked looking at her. She was still not looking at him and her eyes were closed, like she was in a deep concentration her brow was furrowed.

"You could come up and tell me that you didn't want me to go instead of causing trouble to Soi-Fong or Yoruichi," she said, opening her big violet eyes and looking deeply into his brown ones. Ichigo sighed deeply and turned his head to look ahead of him.

"I don't think its my right to tell you what to do or what not to do," he reasoned. But his answer was making Rukia's blood boil. He was a coward!

"And making Soi-Fong cancel my contract is not 'telling me what to do'?!?!" She asked, her voice rising with every word. Her body was turning towards him.

"I didn't make her do it!!!" He shouted back turning towards her, his eyes burning with anger.

"Oh, the almighty Kurosaki Ichigo denies it!!!!"

"I'm not denying!!! I didn't even know she came up with this I only threatened that Bitch editor of mine!!!" He roared but he suddenly realized what escaped from his mouth. Rukia was looking at him with her eyes wide open.

"Hah! So you admit that you threatened someone!!!" she said with victory. Ichigo scowled back at her and threw himself on the couch dramatically.

"Just call it whatever you want." He said nonchalantly.

Suddenly, Rukia sat next to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her nose into his neck. Ichigo felt all the muscles in his body tensing up; he wasn't expecting this. He thought that she might hit him or yell at him, but he didn't think that she would hug him. He put his hand on her arm around his neck and rubbed it.

"You know…you could tell me…I would want you to tell me and then I would make my own decision." She mumbled in his neck. Her hot breath tickling his ear and her lips nearly touching his neck with every word. His brain was in total chaos, his body was tense and his heart was pounding hard against his rib cage.

"I guess I'm more like a…man of action…rather than man of words," he said trailing his fingers on her smooth skin. He snaked his other arm around her waist and held her form close to him. He was glad that she was staying and that she was not angry with him. He figured that she was the only girl who understood him as deeply as only one's self can understand.

"And I thought you were a writer." He could feel her lips curving into a smile. Then she kissed his neck. He wanted to jump out of his skin.

"You can stay here tonight." She said planting another butterfly kiss on his neck. He couldn't move and his brain was paralyzed, so he couldn't think either.

"Y-Yeah," he managed to say, leaning into her touch.

"To which one: that you are a writer or that you can stay here?" She asked, letting her hot breath linger in his ear and then she nibbled his ear. God, this was pure torture and he was enjoying every second of it. He thought that she definitely knew how to play or else he had to admit that she was a natural and accepting that would be a disaster because it would only place Rukia up in the classification of Goddess.

"T-To both." His voice was a low whisper, dizzy with the sensations she was creating. She wasn't doing much but it was enough to set his already yearning body on fire. She suddenly jumped off of the couch and broke the contact. Ichigo was dumbfounded.

"Good would you like to sleep on the couch?" she asked cheerfully. Ah, so that was his real punishment; showing but not giving. Ok, he could deal with that. Two could play the same game. He smirked. He knew what to do.

"Couch…like I have another option." He said coolly.

"Yeah, you're right….you don't have another option," she said her eyes shining with amusement. He was going to show her what was amusing.

"I hope you will let me use the bathroom before I sleep," he said scratching the back of his head. Oh, he was uncomfortable. _Serves him right!_ Rukia thought. She didn't know what came over her on the couch but suddenly she felt bold. Very bold.

She followed Ichigo into her room and dropped herself on her bed, watching him disappear behind that wooden door of her bathroom.

Inside the bathroom Ichigo was thinking furiously to what to do next. He had to mentally slap himself at least ten times to show this perverted side at the back of his mind or else he was going to storm out of the bathroom, grab Rukia and have his way with her right there. Of course Rukia was not helping him with his problem either. The said vixen chose the most inappropriate moment to act. _When would be appropriate for you Ichigo? _The perverted side asked. He growled. It was right. It would never be _appropriate_. The act or the thought of the act itself was inappropriate enough to send shivers down his spine.

He held the sink until his knuckles turned white completely and then he looked at himself at the mirror. He was a good-looking boy but seriously he didn't know what women find in him. He wasn't the type to whisper sweet-nonsense in their ears. He wasn't the flower-chocolate type. He had his _intense_ moments, as some of his ex-girlfriends _elegantly _put and he was definitely moody. He liked brooding and he liked his solitude. So what the hell was it that was so attractive in him that had the girls chasing after him? He never liked the attention he got from them. Sure he used some of this attention for his own good but now he felt completely lost while thinking about what a girl like Rukia would see in him. He sighed deeply and splashed some cold water to his face. He looked at the way the water drops running down his face towards his neck and then to his chest. He ruffled his hair a little and rubbed down his face with the black towel hanging next to the sink.

He took a deep breath and opened the door, only to find Rukia sitting in her bed trying to convince her dog to give a piece of the blanket. She looked amazing with her hair flowing softly down over her bare shoulder, the light from the lamp illuminating her elegant frame and complimenting her ivory skin. A few shorter strands of her long, beautiful raven-hair were ending between her breasts. His gaze followed the strands and he felt his mouth went dry. One of her leg was dangling from the bed and the other one was under her while she was holding the blanket securely in her hands, trying to get it back from the four-legged devil by the name of Chappy.

Rukia put some of the offending strands behind her ear and diverted her gaze from Chappy with the sound of cracking of the wooden door. She saw Ichigo standing with his hands stuffed into the sweatpants and his shoulders hunched. He had a faint blush on his cheeks. He looked cute and…boyish. She knew that sounded crazy to call Kurosaki Ichigo boyish but he was the very representation of it right now, with his ruffled orange hair and the redness creeping up on his cheeks. Suddenly she couldn't hear anything rather than her own heart beat which was pounding in her ears. She looked at him and he smiled blushing a little more. Why the hell was he blushing anyway? She decided to push him a little more. It was worth seeing his discomfort.

"Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight, Ichigo?" She asked expectantly while Ichigo was walking towards the door of her room. He stopped in his tracks, turned and looked at her. This time he was not blushing and he wasn't anywhere close to the _boy _he was few seconds ago. There was a different look in his eyes, the same one from when he was facing her shirtless. His shirtless image came to her mind and she diverted her gaze from his, blushing.

He turned and walked towards her only to kiss her on the cheek. That angered her so she grabbed him by the collar and crushed her lips on his. None of them moved for what it seemed like eternity and she tore her lips form his. It wasn't a deep one like the ones they had before but it wasn't an innocent goodnight kiss either. _Yes, two can play this game, _Ichigo thought. He straightened himself and went out of the room and Before Rukia could react he was back in few seconds with his pillow and blanket. He threw the pillow on Rukia which hit her square in the face.

"What the hell are you doing Baka?!?!" she asked kneeling on her bed grabbing the pillow to her chest. She watched Ichigo jumping on her bed, yanking her blanket away from Chappy with one swift movement. She stared at him with her eyes wide open. He threw her blanket over her head and yanked his pillow from her.

"What, I'm getting comfortable with your bed," he answered, putting his arms under his head, snuggling deeper into her bed.

"WHAT!?!?! YOU CANT SLEEP IN MY BED!!!" she shouted, her yellow blanket still over her head. She yanked his blanket forcefully and threw her own blanket at him.

"Geez, woman! You didn't really expect me to sleep on the couch, did you?" he asked trying to take his blanket back.

"No way you are sleeping with the other!" she wrapped the blanked around herself and snuggled into the bed, trying to stop him grabbing the blanket.

"It smells like DOG!!!" he protested.

"Serves you right!" With that said she turned away from him and turned off the lights. The silence was deafening. She could hear his rapid breathing. It sounded faster than normal, but that might be her own paranoid thoughts.

"Don't worry I wont do anything you don't want." He tried to assure her about their condition.

"Good, I don't want to chastise you." He could hear her smile in the darkness

"And don't expect me to cuddle," she warned him.

"Hah." He said and turned on his side to watch her back and her shiny raven hair pooling on her pillow. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep. This was going to be a long night with the pure torture of her being this close and not being able to touch her, hold her…love her. _Love her?!?! Sentimental fool!!!_ Opposed the other side. He shoved the thought to the back of his mind.

He fell into a restless sleep with her scent filling his nose and her slow, rapid breathing in his ears.

---------------------------

_A strong punch hit him square in the face and he was thrown to the other side of the cage. This time the man was pretty huge for his usual taste but it didn't matter. The stronger he was the better the fight was. _

"_Why are you still standing boy?" the big man asked with an evil laughter. He had blood dripping from his left eyebrow but he whipped it like nothing while still laughing and looking at him._

"_I was just trying to imagine how your funeral would look like without any friends." Ichigo answered with his own smug smirked plastered on his face. _

"_At least my poor mommy will not be crying over my casket!!!" the man laughed. With anger burning in his eyes, Ichigo threw himself on the guy and started to punch him over and over again. First he knocked him on the ground and sat on his chest then he continued to punch him more forcefully then ever…_

"Heh, Heh, Heh…" Ichigo woke up, his hands in fists, sweat dropping from his forehead. He felt cold fingers caressing his burning skin and turned his head only to see a pair of violet eyes looking at him with concern in them.

He slowly eased himself up on the bed and put his head on the soft pillow. Rukia moved towards him and put her head on his pillow, her face next to him. She pushed his sweaty hair away from his forehead and kissed his cheek. Without asking any questions, she cuddled to his right side, because he was still lying on his back while Rukia was lying on her side.

"I thought you told me not to expect cuddling," he said turning his face to her. She put her hand on his cheek and just stared at him. After what felt like hours to Ichigo, she started to move her fingers down his jaw line and then up to his forehead. She caressed his face with the back of her knuckles and rubbed her nose to his.

"I changed my mind." She whispered, turning her back to him. He immediately turned on his side and held her from behind, burying his nose into her hair. He was glad that she didn't ask anything and just offered the safety of her presence and calming effect of her scent.

It was a nightmare he usually saw when he went to sleep with his mind troubled. He didn't know why he felt like that but being so close to Rukia made him uncomfortable on some level because he wasn't sure how she was going to react to some of his more 'forward' moves. Right now, it was enough for him to hold her. She had a comforting presence and surprisingly she knew how to calm him. Feeling bold, he cuddled a little more, pulling her towards his chest.

He watched her flawless raven hair shining in the moonlight coming through her window. The sun would rise in an hour and the moon was having the last minutes of its sovereignty.

He looked around the room, trying to memorize everything in it. Every piece of furniture told him something more about her. Because he was an observer he knew what some things meant. Like the fact that the dominant colors reflected the mood of her inner world. He looked down at her and nuzzled her neck. She was back to sleep peacefully but there was no way for him to sleep. So he stayed awake, looking out of the window over Rukia's shoulder, breathing her scent and thinking what would tomorrow bring for them.

She unconsciously kicked the blanket and it slide down a little to reveal her body. Her sleeveless white shirt was drawn up, showing the soft pale skin of her narrow waist. Ichigo put his hand tentatively on the exposed area, too afraid that he might wake her and cause her to move away. He felt shy for the first time. He didn't know how to approach to her in _that _way. It wasn't that he was going to do something but he just wanted…_wanted what exactly?_ The so famous inner voice of him asked. He sighed, letting his fingers linger on her soft flesh. He suddenly felt her moving and before her could draw his hand back Rukia's small one closed over his and she turned to lie on her back, looking at him with her eyes shining. Ichigo was holding his breath and he was too afraid to look and see the rejection in her eyes. He just blinked and mumbled a sorry.

"You couldn't sleep." It wasn't a question. She knew he was uncomfortable with her and to be honest she felt uncomfortable with him too. She didn't want to scare him by pestering him with questions and also she didn't want to make him feel that she was jumping on him like the other girls. Truth be told, she woke up the moment she felt his hand on her waist then when his hand was sliding down to hrt stomach she held her breath. She felt a knot below her stomach and there was a fire burning in her. She wanted to assure him in everyway she could think and she also wanted to understand what was happening to her body.

She slowly pulled his hand over her stomach and looked at him as if telling him to continue. He traced a path with his fingers. She was on her back and holding herself not to jump. She wasn't even feeling any tickling because of the intensity of the other feelings. Call it an adrenalin rush or anything you want. Within an instant he was on her, looking down at directly in her eyes. He was bracing himself with his elbows.

He was staring at her with such intensity that she felt like she would melt under his gaze. The weight of his body was so comforting and warm. Neither one of them moved for a moment, simply lost in the other's eyes. It didn't take long for Rukia to note that he wasn't getting off of her, but he wasn't doing anything else either._ I'm gonna have to make the first move_, she thought, _otherwise the moment will end._

Before she could change her mind, Rukia lifted her head and claimed his lips. She held on to the front of his soft cotton shirt, terrified that he would move away if given the chance. His kiss came with such force that her head hit the pillow behind her. His lips pressed against hers, and before he could ask, she opened her mouth and allowed him entrance. Ichigo was pushing down on her with so much need and desire that she couldn't help but return it. Their tongues were in an all-out war for control, wrestling and pushing against each other. The fire inside Rukia was quickly intensifying and settling between her thighs.

He grabbed her neck to deepen the kiss, if it were possible, and her hands embedded themselves in his hair. She moaned softly and let go of everything in her mind that was protesting, telling her that she would feel bad at the end of it. She didn't want to listen to it because she wanted this moment to come so much that she'd no idea how she'd controlled herself until now.

Finally they had to pull away from each other for lack of oxygen. Their breathing was ragged and uncontrolled. Ichigo was looking down at her with a look she had never seen before; his eyes were filled with passion and lust and… something else. Before Rukia could figure out what that something else was though, Ichigo claimed her mouth again. His kisses were so demanding and possessive that Rukia thought she might have burst into flames right on the spot. She shifted her body to better align herself with him when she felt it.

He grabbed her hips with one hand to push her into himself more. Though they were 'heavily' clothed(for Ichigo's taste) he could feel the heat radiating off of her body and it was driving him so mad that he forgot who he was. He was just Ichigo. Nothing existed but him and Rukia. They were just male and female. Oh how he wanted heavens to crush down on them, how he would turn every world upside down, break every single rule to have this moment again and again.

She tasted faintly of the rum they'd had and something minty. He suckled on her lower lip for a moment, then her top lip, and then his tongue plunged in to find hers enthusiastically waiting. After a long moment, he placed small, butterfly kisses along her jaw until he reached her throat. Such soft flesh! He resisted the urge to actually bite into her, settling for a sensual tongue assault. Each gasp and whimper that escaped her lips let him know that he was pleasing her. This only encouraged him further as he moved his mouth to her ear, nibbling, licking, and suckling her lobe.

He trailed his hands in her shirt to caress her ribs and then he slid his hand to her back. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed her shirt and took it off. Rukia did the same thing to him and now the only thing she felt under her small hands was his smooth, flawless skin and his fine muscles. Gods, she wanted to touch all of him. She glided her hands up and down on his chest and she stopped when she arrived at the waistband of his sweatpants. Ichigo was still exploring her mouth while caressing her upper body enthusiastically.

He grinded his hips into hers while grabbing her legs to put them around his waist. With that, their proximity increased and Ichigo couldn't contain his groan any longer. Her hands were caressing his back and she was pushing herself into him. He found a spot on her collarbone that made her gasp with anticipation. She was so responsive and, dare he say, natural.

"Little Nymph, you taste so good to me," he breathed into her ear. At his words, her body arched into his as her hands found their way once again into his hair. He closed his eyes at the sensation she was causing. Who would have thought that she could make him feel so welcome? So wanted? So needed? Finding her mouth again, he placed a demanding kiss on her lips. Their cloth-covered bodies were still trying to get closer by the most natural call.

He could easily pass that stage and move on to the next. The sweet scent of her skin was now embedded on his skin. He was learning new ways to please her with every passing second. He wanted to learn more, he wanted to give her more so that she would give all of herself to him.

Ichigo's brain was so clouded with desire that he didn't hear the bell ringing. He just heard an unpleasant groan from Rukia and panicked. He forced every muscle in his body to tear his mouth away from hers. He could barely breathe but he didn't want to stop. He looked down at her only to see her saying something, more like whispering. He bent his head down so that she could whisper in his ear.

"The bell…" she took a deep breath, "is ringing" she finished with a husky voice. She was as breathless as Ichigo was. He cursed the bell and swore to kill whoever was on the door. She tried to untangle herself from Ichigo but he was hugging her tightly. His face buried in her neck, his tongue assaulting.

"Ichigo…I have to answer the door." The said person was sucking on her neck. She moaned and pushed him gently. He tore his mouth and rolled himself away from her. She put her shirt on and then her morning gown to cover her flushed skin.

Ichigo lay on his back on her soft bed under the soft muffled covers of hers. His mind was clearer now that she was away. He jumped off the bed to go to the bathroom. When he was in, he safely locked the door and sat on the toilet. He needed to think. But he wasn't sure about what.

He went next to the sink to splash some cold water on his face. He could think more clearly now and everything he had done few minutes ago started to seem like a mistake. What the hell was he thinking? They were going to work together and here he was making everything more complicated. What if he screwed up the 'relationship' and they failed to work together? He didn't want Rukia to have a bad experience in her career that early. They were supposed to work for God-knows-how-long. Sure, he could contain himself a little bit longer than that. _Can you ?_ the traitorous voice asked. He could and he would, for her own sake. _Or for your own sake you selfish bastard?_ It was there again making every point too clear for his own taste. He slapped himself mentally.

He heard a soft knock on his door and looked at his reflection on the mirror. His pupils were still large enough dominate the natural brown of his eyes. His hair was more muffled, thanks to her. He sighed. This was going to be a hard talk but if they could get over this 'working-together' issue then maybe they could have a healthy relationship. A relationship…she was the type of girl he wanted to have a relationship with, but not now. Now was not the best time neither for him or for her. So he slipped his mask of indifference on and looked at himself again. He could do it and so could she.

He slowly opened the door and saw Rukia standing in front of him, fixing her hair. She stepped towards him but then she stopped abruptly. She felt an unreachable aura around him. His face cold, wearing its usual frown. He blinked and looked at her, scratching the back of his head. _Uh-oh, this is not good_, Rukia thought.

"So who was that?" He asked stuffing his hands into his pocket to avoid any 'unwanted' contact with the girl standing in front of him.

"Nii-sama. He came to ask if I could join him in a family lunch today," she answered. He could sense the concern in her tone as she asked, "Ichigo whats wrong?". His head snapped at the question and Rukia saw his eyes hardening.

"Nothing." He answered coolly still standing in his place. She took another step towards him and he took a step back.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked curiously, though her voice was almost inaudible. Why was he acting so distant? Did she remind him of something he didn't like? Or was she doing something wrong? Maybe she was cold? Could that be?

"No…no, it's not that." he said, shaking his head. What? Was that woman insane? She didn't do anything wrong; on the contrary she was too perfect that sometime around those heady moments Ichigo thought that he was having a wet dream. But it was until she dug her nails on his shoulders. The pain was too real for a dream.

"Then why are you acting li-…" before she could ask, Ichigo passed her with a step and stride towards her living room, out of her bedroom, "Ichigo?!?" she followed him. He was grabbing his clothes hastily.

"Look Rukia we are about to work together and have you thought what might happen if we…I don't know…screw up our so called 'relationship'?" he asked, using his hands to sign quotation marks while stressing the word relationship.

"What the hell are you talking about?!?!" she yelled. She was mad and this time she was going to strangle someone.

"The thing I'm talking about is YOUR career. Would you be able to work with me if we have tried and couldn't continue our relationship?" He asked.

"To hell with it!! We don't even have one, Ichigo!!!!" She threw his shirt at him. He suddenly remembered Renji's words about her being 'too damn hot' while she was angry. He had never seen her angry but now she was and she looked at him as if she was going to jump on him and strangle him. He liked that. The more she took her frustration out on him the more he was able to coax her, he reasoned. Oh but how he was wrong.

"That's exactly what I'm saying!! We can easily have _one_ if we walk out that door hand in hand and go, have breakfast together!!!" He shouted, putting his shirt on.

"Oh you mean you won't be able to work with me if we end up screwing whatever the fuck is going on between us? You selfish bastard!!!" she stride towards him and pushed him, he fell on to her couch.

"What the hell that was for?!?! I'm thinking of you in here. I couldn't care less if we don't have anything between and it's not my concern if we screw up! It won't affect me, not even a little bit!!!" He wasn't entirely aware what he was saying but Rukia clearly heard it. Suddenly Ichigo saw the super calm look settling on her face and knew something was up.

"Is that so?" she asked very calmly. What the hell was that? Why was she so calm when he was so mad? Was she after something? He looked at her, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" he asked, taking deep breaths to calm his anger.

"Nothing." She crossed her arms over her chest. "From now on you don't have to worry about anything Kurosaki-san. Now if you will kindly pack your things because I have plenty of things to do instead of standing here and wasting my precious time. I will be in contact with you when a plan is outlined so that we can schedule our meetings." She glanced at him coldly, walking towards her door.

Ichigo was dumbfounded. What the hell was she talking about? He just said that they should take a break, or resume their relationship so that they could continue after. But now she was acting all cold and stuff. What the hell was wrong with her? _You moron!!! _Shouted the unwelcome side of his mind. He grabbed his pants and walked out, only to have the door slammed to his face. He stood there frozen on the spot and wondered what the hell made her so angry.

By the time Rukia got back to her room, she was crying so hard she couldn't control it. She had wanted so badly for Ichigo to kiss her again, but this was not how she had imagined it. She was in love with him. She knew that now; there was no way rejection would hurt this much if she wasn't. She couldn't believe what he said. What did she mean to him? Another fan girl or a simple girl to spend some time and fool around with?

Her mind, body, and soul felt like they were being ripped apart. The pain was so horrible she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a corner and die. How could he say something like that? Didn't he have a heart or even a single muscle or nerve which would ache if they broke up?

The warm stream of a shower should have helped, but Rukia didn't feel any better. She pulled back the covers on her bed and curled up, hugging her pillow. It was a long time before she joined her Nii-sama for lunch.

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**_psycho _raBBit's bla bla: **somebody needs to get "the treatment" I guess…and that somebody is going to regret veeeeeeery much! I hope you liked the "little" IchixRuki moment I promised so badly and as always I want you to tell me if there is something offending you. Because the wishes of my readers comes first!


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** not mine!

**raBBit's nonsense talk: **Guys here is your new chapter! I tried to do my best with it but I'm not satisfied, to be honest. Thanks to my beta, as always, for being as fast as myself. I don't think next update will be fast this time because I felt obliged to write a few chapters for my others story. I feel like I abandoned it. And the literary piece of this chapter is not poetry but a song! If you want to listen to it here is the link: its not the original video as you will see, but I couldn't find the original so bear with Gilmore Girls). Cookies for all my reviewers and all the love goes to my readers! Enjoy!

**The last beautiful Girl-Matchbox 20**

This will all fall down like everything else that was  
This too shall pass and all of the words we said  
We can't take back

Now every fool in town would've left by now  
I can't replace all the wasted days  
The memory of your face - can't help thinkin'

Maybe if we ever coulda kept it all together  
Where would we be  
A thousand lost forevers  
And the promises you never were giving me  
Here's what I'm thinking

It won't be the first - heart that you break  
It won't be the last - beautiful girl  
The one that you wrecked - won't take you back  
If you were the last beautiful girl in the world

Tell me one more time  
How you're sorry about the way  
This all went down - you needed to find your space

You needed to still be friends  
Needed me to  
Call you if I ever couldn't keep it all together you'd comfort me  
Tell me but forever  
And the promises I never should have believed in  
Here's what I'm thinking

It won't be the first - heart that you break  
It won't be the last - beautiful girl  
The one that you wrecked - won't take you back  
If you were the last beautiful girl in the world

It's over now - and I've gone without  
Cuz you're everybody else's girl  
It seems to me - you'll always be  
Everyone else's girl  
Everyone else's girl

This will all fall down  
Like everything in the world  
This too must end  
And all the words we said  
We can't take back

It won't be the first - heart that you break  
It won't be the last - beautiful girl  
The one that you wrecked - won't take you back  
If you were the last...

It won't be the first - heart that you break  
It won't be the last - beautiful girl  
The one that you wrecked - won't take you back  
If you were the last beautiful girl in the world

The last beautiful girl in the world  
You are the last beautiful girl in the world  
Beautiful girl

_The Last Beautiful Girl_

Ichigo was sitting on a bench in a park wondering what the hell happened during the last four days. He couldn't bring himself to call her the first day, afraid that she might yell at him or he might piss her off even more. So here he was on a windy autumn evening watching the ducks on the lake of the park, though they were going to leave Ichigo in few more days, just like Rukia. The weather was getting colder again, just like Rukia was getting colder with each passing day.

He tired to stop thinking about her but it was useless. All he could do was sit and think about her. At home he had been sitting on his couch, sleeping on his couch and then sitting on it again. He hadn't really eaten anything for the last few days, just a tofu that Inoue brought (he didn't want to know how she made it) and a few fruits. He actually didn't care about the state of his stomach because his mind was turning a deaf-ear to its calls out of its constant nagging about a certain Kuchiki Rukia.

She hadn't answered his phone calls for the last three days and he couldn't even find a place to drop a message. Normally she had an answering machine but he guessed it was off. So he decided to pay her a visit last night but she hadn't been at home. He could swear he saw her lights on from across the street.

While his mind was busy pestering him with questions about his actions he saw a wild looking Hirako Shinji chasing after the ducks. Wait! It wasn't Shinji chasing after the ducks it was Hiyori chasing Shinji and the ducks were happen to be on his way. Stop right there! DUCKS LIVE IN THE LAKE DUMBASS!

"They look cute together don't they?" He heard someone asking and turned towards the voice only to come nose to nose with one Hisagi Shuuhei. Ichigo just frowned at him and turned his attention back to his thoughts.

"Well Rukia has been awfully cheerful for the last FOUR days and somehow she's been very calm at the same time. You couldn't have done something, right?" He asked in a sickeningly smug voice. Ichigo wanted to jump on him and beat the shit out of him, maybe break his jaw so that he would never be able talk again. But no he couldn't so he refrained himself to just snort.

"You look a little pale yourself too, Ichigo…why don't we take a walk?" He asked nudging Ichigo's arm with his elbow. Ichigo looked down at his elbow and raised his eyes to Hisagi's.

He got up and started to walk towards the street. They could still hear Shinji's screams among the quacking of the ducks.

"You aren't gonna kill me and dump my body god-knows-where, are you?" Ichigo asked, walking down the street with his hands in his pockets.

"No if I wait long enough you will do it yourself and then we will attend your funeral which is less dangerous if we consider the fact that murder is still against the law." He flashed a grin to Ichigo and made him want to push Shuuhei _accidentally_ in front of a moving car, because you know _murder _was _still against_ the law.

"I know you don't like to talk about your personal business but I figured you might need an ear." He said.

"Or two." Ichigo caught the glimpse of a red head.

"Are you here to torture me personally?" He asked calmly, nearly not caring. But truth be told he cared. He just didn't want to be alone but at the same time he didn't know anyone who could understand him when it came to Rukia.

"No we are here to learn why Rukia is being so cheerful," Renji stated.

"Let's say she got rid of me; that's probably why she's on cloud nine," Ichigo stated. They were walking down the street; all of them had their hands in their pockets.

Shuuhei gripped Ichigo's arm and dragged him into a place which awfully looked like a bar. Ichigo looked around only to see a bunch of losers sitting on the stools and drinking.

"You don't expect me to drink at one in the afternoon, do you?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

"You will probably fall into a coma if you drink with an empty stomach…so no…follow me," Renji said and they all walked behind the bar and entered through a staff door.

Ichigo was facing one of the most amazing views in his life. Here was a garden with all kind of flowers and little benches. There was a little stone pool with lilies in it and birds were drinking water from it. It just looked like a scene from a fairytale. He blinked a few times to clear his head.

"The owner of this place is obsessed with gardening, but let's say for now you don't want to meet him." Hisagi flashed another annoying grin.

"We come here a lot to think and talk. Nobody bothers us in here. Toushiro came clean about his one Hinamori Momo problem in this garden." Renji looked around with his hands on his hips. Ichigo thought that Renji looked awfully absurd in this garden.

"So you expect me to come clean about…what exactly?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Rukia." They both answered at the same time, Shuuhei throwing himself on the grass, Renji picking a bench and laying on it.

Ichigo sighed deeply, walked towards the other bench, and laid down on it, putting his arms behind his head. The sky was clear from here, more clear than the park and there were no buildings in the view. He liked it. _It must be cool to be here at night_, he thought.

"Well…we argued." He said simply. He was reluctant to talk but he felt like he had to get it out of his system.

"On what?" Hisagi asked picking a daisy. Ichigo arched an eyebrow looking at the daisy and then continued to look at the sky.

"We…got …closer." He gulped.

"How close?" Renji asked.

"Very." Ichigo was blushing. Hisagi nudged Renji to make him look at Ichigo. It was a very rare scene to see Kurosaki Ichigo blushing.

"So what? Did she call Kaien's name and you went crazy?" Renji asked, knowing how even the thought of it would make Ichigo go ballistic. And he was right; suddenly Ichigo got up and was looking straight at him with hard brown eyes.

"No." he said simply and lay down again. But his actions always spoke louder than his words. That was who Kurosaki Ichigo was. Even though he was a writer, in real life he was not good with words. Most people would expect a writer to be good with words but in principle words were not enough to express Ichigo's real feelings, he was too intense for that. So he always acted towards them. Like now.

"I guess I freaked out," he said.

"Oh…that close." Renji nodded knowingly. That was touching Ichigo's nerves. How could he know such a feeling? Why the hell he was acting almighty?

"And the reason for that?" Hisagi asked calmly. Ichigo was not afraid that Hisagi might kill him. He wasn't even considering a death from his hands but all he was thinking was Rukia's future torture plans for him.

"We are going to work together. Soi-Fong came up with that_ brilliant_ idea of signing me with GAP as their model and having an interview with me for the next issue of Glory. And in all that chaos she assigned Rukia to be my photographer in both events" he sighed and sat on the bench putting his head between his hands.

"So what? Its pretty important to have a special bond between the photographer and the model or the place, doesn't matter, so that he or she can came up with the right themes to reflect those emotions." Renji reasoned, Shuuhei looked at him like he was from outer space, "Well once Rukia told me that…Remember her first term project." He reminded Shuuhei. He nodded knowingly.

Ichigo wanted to smack himself in the head for not thinking about this MINOR detail. But then again it wasn't the real reason and somehow deep down he knew that.

"You just wanted to protect yourself I guess." Shuuhei reasoned. Ichigo could only nod after such a perception. He knew it was useless to deny it. He was selfish and uncaring. He still didn't know why the hell Rukia was interested in him. _Not anymore!!!_ cheered the other side. He closed his eyes. He felt so sick that he could throw up on the grass. He went paler with every second.

"Why would I want to protect myself from a girl?" He asked looking up at Hisagi.

"Maybe because you care about her enough to make yourself sick just because she is not paying any attention to you," Hisagi said in a very serious tone. Ichigo groaned and lay back on the bench, again.

"Maybe." He put his arm over his eyes.

"I made the same mistake back in the days when we were together." Renji murmured, but Ichigo heard him very clearly. He cracked open an eye and looked at Renji. Ichigo didn't want to know about the said days when they were together. He had a tendency to be jealous, but not when it came to girls. It could be about sports or about business, rather writing but never girls. Rukia was the first girl that ever made him feel jealous in that category. Since the first day he met her, to be more specific since the moment he saw Kaien's arms around her shoulders, he had been jealous.

"How come?" He couldn't help himself and asked the question anyway.

"Well we started to go out during our last year in high school…she didn't know Kaien back then." Renji started to tell his story, but Ichigo cut in.

"Spare me the details, please and I don't think we should be worried about Shiba Kaien." Ichigo said smirking. He was in a sitting position, his arms resting on his legs.

"If I were you I wouldn't be that sure about it but we'll talk about it later…now turning back to my story…it was all good in the beginning. We were close friends and such and we were dating too and all that stuff. Then that super unfortunate day came…we got carried away a little bit and…well I freaked out, thinking that if I got too attached and she left I would be devastated. But little did I know, I was already attached and would be devastated after that incident. Rukia's a good girl but she has a tendency to get over people too easily. She is extremely patient but a moment comes when she suddenly isn't feeling the same anymore. And that is, my friend, the moment your funeral is announced. She keeps you by her side because she still loves you…but no more than a friend and she lets you know in such a painful way that it hurts even after all these years." He sighed and lay back on the bench. Ichigo was staring at him intently. He knew Renji was right and that he screwed up badly this time. Rukia was not a person to not answer the phone. She would answer but answer it with a cold manner, so cold that you would feel your blood freezing in your veins.

"Do you think I should start the preparations of my funeral?" Ichigo asked. It was funny that he could still joke about it. Shuuhei smirked at him.

"Not yet buddy, not yet." Ichigo thought that was encouraging even for few minutes. Because his dark mood was back and he just wanted to go home and brood.

"Hey Ichigo isn't it hard for you to contain yourself at times like that?" Shuuhei asked.

"I don't know what you mean." He answered, shaking his head.

"You know…like when you really want to jump on someone and beat him to pulp."

"No, its not…at least not anymore." He sighed. There was a reason why he was asking all these questions. He knew Ichigo was not someone who you could underestimate. Despite his cool and sometimes boyish look, the boy was a beast sometimes.

They all knew the days back then. Shuuhei couldn't help but wonder how it would be different if Ichigo knew Rukia back then. Maybe she would help him before things got out of hand. Shuuhei knew that Rukia had some effect on Ichigo of which she had no idea. Of course it was invisible to the eye of an outsider like Rukia or Rangiku or anyone who befriended him in the last two years. He also knew that Renji, Toushiro and he didn't have the right to judge him because they hadn't been there for him as friends. Come to think of it, no one was there for him because he never let anyone in.

Kurosaki Ichigo was a tiring soul for the others. Only another tiring and tormented soul could understand why that said soul suppose to be exceptionally emotional just like Ichigo. That's why Shuuhei thought Rukia was a perfect match for Ichigo. Both were proud people who lived on the edge yet acted like they were normal people. They were both complicated as hell and had tendency to close themselves into their own worlds. He didn't know how this story was going to end and he didn't know where they were heading. All he wanted was to see both of his friends happy.

Truth be told Hisagi Shuuhei always admired Kurosaki Ichigo because he was strong and tough. He was proud yet he knew how to be gentle, of course when he wanted. And somehow this boy had lost his faith that someone would come to love him as much as his mother loved him. He didn't understand what was so special about his mother but from what he learned that they had some sort of special bond. The kind of bond through which someone could understand your deepest feelings. That's why the loss of said bond might cause a huge trauma for the boy who always had the difficulty to bond with others.

"What did you mean when you said that I shouldn't be so sure about Kaien?" Ichigo asked curiously. Shuuhei gulped.

"Wellhegaveherapeckonthelipsbeforehewent." He said very fast.

"What?" Ichigo asked, trying to understand why suddenly he was so nervous.

"He gave her a peck on the lips before he went." Renji talked more clear then Hisagi.

"W-WHAT?!?!?!" Ichigo screamed. He was on his feet, his hands were in fists and he looked like a caged tiger that was ready to jump and chew someone's head.

"You can't blame her. You finished what was between you two." Renji reasoned. But that infuriated Ichigo more.

"I didn't finish anything!! I just said that we should take a break while we were working so that it wouldn't affect our future relationship!!!" He yelled into Renji's face, who was being grabbed by the collar by one Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Well I heard her talking to Ran-Chan and telling that, I'm quoting directly, that you said 'what the hell that was for?!?! I'm thinking of you in here. I couldn't care less if we don't have anything between and it's not my concern if we screw up! It won't affect me, not even a little bit!!!'" he put his hand on Ichigo's arm, trying to get Renji back from him.

"Of course I said that! I care about her and her career is important. It's not me who will be affected by heartbreak, someone sure can come and take a bunch of stupid photos or write an article about me!" he was still shouting.

"But you see it sounds totally different. Like you don't care about her so that you won't be affected by a future break up and stuff." Renji said.

"You cant be serious!!!" He gave out a frustrated sigh and drop himself on the grass.

"Maybe you should talk to her…but not now. Let her cool a little bit," Shuuhei said putting his hand on Ichigo's shoulder, sitting down next to him.

"She's cold enough to make my blood freeze," he murmured.

"Yeah she can do that, she has the tendency to act like Kuchiki Byakuya. And she is very talented when it comes to impersonating him," Renji said smirking.

"So Rukia probably thinks that I'm using her, Kaien has given her something to think during his absence and she treats me like the dirt under her shoes." His frown deepened with every word.

"Don't worry…we'll try to take care of that!" Renji cheered.

"How?!?!" He asked.

"Hmmm….we have our ways." Shuuhei said but he also knew there was no way in hell they could soften Rukia. But it wasn't necessary for Ichigo to know that _minor_ detail. They would do everything to help their friend. Somehow, he felt obliged because he wasn't there when Ichigo was going through tough times.

"So come on guys its time for dinner. Lets go grab something to eat and then go and watch the national game," Renji offered.

"I hope you have cold beer this time and what the hell are you planning to do about Risa?" Shuuhei asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You're right, let's go to your place. I'm too damn tired to fight with her." He grinned sheepishly. Shuuhei rolled his eyes at him and motioned Ichigo to follow them.

Ichigo was more than happy to oblige. Any and every distraction was welcome and he wanted to take his mind off Rukia so bad that he would even agree to go and watch ducks again. He sighed and followed them out of that incredible garden.

---------------------------

This was the most peaceful 4 days of Rukia in the past 3 weeks. She completely ignored Kurosaki Ichigo and threw herself in her studies and of course in the future GAP project. Really, she should thank Kurosaki some other time for giving her such an opportunity.

Today she had a meeting with the fashion editor of GAP and now she was walking towards a restaurant where she was going to meet that person. When she arrived at the restaurant her jaw dropped on the floor. Matsumoto Rangiku would give her right hand to see this.

Here, her soon-to-be-colleague was sitting on a table. It wasn't the fact that this person was here earlier than her but the said person was actually a _guy_ and he looked very very handsome, not that she looked at him in that way, mind you. She put on her best smile and walked towards the table. She was glad that she decided to wear her new indigo dress. It complimented her eyes and her pale skin, or at least that's what Rangiku said. And now she was glad that Ran-Chan had forced her to buy this.

When she reached the table she was greeted with a genuine smile. He was tall and he had short black hair with dark violet eyes. He was wearing a nice suit which reminded her of her Nii-sama.

"Hi, I'm Lantis Jenkins." He reached his hand to shake her small ones firmly.

"I'm Kuchiki Rukia, nice to meet you…Mr.…Jenkins?" she asked curiously. The man in front of him was really a piece to see and when she looked around she realized that nearly every female in the room was checking him out.

"My father is British." He smiled softly at her and held her chair. She sat down gracefully and opened her napkin on her lap.

"That explains the gentleman attitude." She smiled at him and thanked him. He sat down across from her.

"Would you like to give an order before we start?" he asked softly. Rukia realized that she couldn't take her eyes off of him. She blushed at that thought.

"Ok…I guess I will have…smoked salmon and a crab salad." She closed the menu and saw Lantis's eyes shining with amusement. She arched an eyebrow.

"Sorry I'm not used to have lunch with women who actually eat something during the whole thing." He apologized for his inconvenient behavior.

She laughed at that heartedly.

------------------------

Ichigo, Shuuhei and Renji were walking down the street, talking animatedly about today's national game on TV. They were making bets on the teams and challenging each other with the don't-try-this-at-home kind of stuff; like kidnapping Chappy. Ichigo smiled at the thought. He could take his revenge on the dog. He grinned evilly.

He felt relaxed for the first time in a few days. It was a good idea to hang out with the guys, like old times. He kinda missed having friends like Renji and Hisagi. They weren't so uptight about girls like Ishida and they didn't have a psycho attitude like Keigo. They weren't as silent as Chad either. All in all they were good to have a guys night out, unlike his other friends.

When they were passing in front of Hueco Mundo, the second most famous restaurant in town after Seireitei, they heard laughter.

Ichigo froze on the spot and looked at Renji and Hisagi who were also standing there looking confused.

"I thought I heard Rukia's laughter." Renji scratched his head. Hisagi looked alarmed. He knew she was going to have a lunch with the fashion editor of GAP today but he didn't know the said editor. What if the editor was a guy? Or worse, a handsome Guy? He looked at Ichigo who was looking directly into the restaurant, his eyes fixed on something. Shuuhei followed his gaze only to see Rukia having lunch with a _handsome guy_. Shit!!!

"Maybe we sho-…" Before Hisagi could finish his sentence Ichigo was already marching into the restaurant. Hisagi grabbed Renji's arm and followed Ichigo in.

"We are in deep shit Shuuhei; if Rukia sees us in here she's gonna have our balls!" Renji said panicking.

"Somehow that excites you beyond reason Renji." Hisagi smirked at him. And got a scowl back as an answer. They spotted Ichigo in front of the counter talking to the receptionist.

"I'm sure we can find a table for you Kurosaki-san, if only you can wait a few more minutes." The receptionist said.

"Actually we are here to visit a friend, but thanks for the offer Koujisiwa. Do you see the girl sitting there?" He pointed his finger towards Rukia. "That's Kuchiki Rukia, a very good friend of ours and we would like to surprise her." He turned back and looked at the faces of his friends. Somehow they looked like a pair of deer caught in the headlights.

The receptionist walked escorted them to Rukia's table.

"…and you can't imagine how it looked like, we both were in shock and he said 'what the hell lets use it that way'" and both of them were laughing until Ichigo appeared in front of the table with others on his heels.

Ichigo stopped in front of the table and eyed the guy. He then looked at Rukia who was scowling at him. Lantis knew who he was so he just got up to greet the future-object-of-his-attention.

"Oh, Kurosaki Ichigo, how nice to see you in here…I'm Lantis Jenkins, we will be working together," Lantis exclaimed and rose from his chair to shake his hand. Ichigo shook his hand firmly. At the moment Rukia was throwing death glares at Renji and Shuuhei who were already discussing what kind of flowers they wanted for their funeral.

"Nice to meet you Lantis," he said confidently, he was acting cool again. Then Ichigo suddenly bent and kissed Rukia softly on the lips. Rukia was shocked. She blinked a few times. How dare he! She was about jump and kill him on the spot.

To be honest Ichigo had no clue why he did that, he acted upon instinct and he felt better after this. He eyed the man sitting on the other side of the table. Receptionist came with chairs to add to the table.

"So you're joining us?" Lantis asked.

"Yeah actually, we were looking for a place to eat something." Ichigo exclaimed and sat down. But others were still busy with thinking intently on how to get out of this without getting a scratch.

"Aren't you going to watch the national game?" Rukia asked coldly to Hisagi, who was still standing.

"Oh, yeah we totally forgot that!!" He tapped Ichigo on the shoulder.

"Its in few hours, don't worry. Besides we should eat something," he said without looking at them.

"Somehow I'm not in mood to have shrimp," Renji said, holding his stomach. That only earned him a death glare from Ichigo, and both sat down without saying another word.

"Actually it's good to have you here Kurosaki-san; we were trying to schedule our meetings for the shoots," Rukia said with an ice-cold voice. She was acting aloof.

"Really? I have been trying to reach you for…a few days now. But I guess you didn't have a chance to look at your phone during your busy schedule." He smiled at her. This was war.

"Yeah actually I was busy, thanks for _caring_. A friend of mine had gone to Italy and I took over his duties here." She had been looking at Lantis all the time, avoiding eye contact with Ichigo

"Oh, Shiba Kaien…I heard that you were about to go but Soi-Fong wanted you on this and to be honest I'm glad you are in this." So the stupid jerk was flirting with his Rukia!! He was going to see.

"Yeah…But I have to thank Kurosaki-san for that and don't ask why." She laughed gently. Everything was touching Ichigo's nerves and his left eye was twitching again. This was not a good sign.

"So Kurosaki-san, I have heard that you are already writing your third book." Lantis said. poping a small piece of meat in his mouth.

"You would say that." Ichigo answered coolly.

"I have to say I'm impressed that at such a young age you published two incredible books and you've already been given the title as one of the greatest writers of the century." Lantis was trying to make small talk so that he could warm Ichigo up for the big thing.

"Oh please don't say things like that or we won't be able to find a way out of this restaurant because his ego will be bloking our way," Rukia said smiling a smile that was totally fake. Ichigo could understand if her smile was fake or not. She was wearing the fake one when she was around her Nii-sama and she was smiling genuinely when she was with him. _YEAH, take that Lantis!!!!,_ he thought.

"I thought you graduated with a degree in Literary Arts-playwriting., but you write fiction," he commented.

"Ah…Actually I haven't graduated. I got kicked out," Ichigo said calmly, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Shuuhei knew why he was kicked out and he also knew he didn't care.

"Really? I thought Aizen Sousuke was trying to put a black mark on your repot." Lantis said with amazement in his tone.

"No." he simply answered. Yeah Renji remembered those days. Aizen Sousuke was breathing down his neck because actually Ichigo's _victim_ that time was his son. He was also a scholar in that academy, a very well known one because of his harsh critiques. And somehow he never liked Ichigo, even from the start. When his book came out Aizen wrote that Kurosaki Ichigo is being exaggerated by the press and that he should thank his _talented_ publisher Urahara Kisuke for his success. The man had a problem with everyone.

"You got kicked out of the academy?!?!" He heard Rukia asking from his side.

"Yeah…whats the big deal?" He asked nonchalantly.

"What's the big deal? You actually asked 'what's the big deal'? You are unbelievable. People are working their asses off to get into that academy and you get yourself kicked out!" She said hotly. Oh, how cute she looked; she had no idea that all Ichigo wanted to do was to drag her somewhere and do those things all over again. But she would probably have his balls before he could even kiss her. He smiled with that thought and this infuriated Rukia much more.

"And look who is talking. If I'm not mistaken _you_ turned down a _scholarship_ from the academy." Said Lantis, with an amused smile on his face.

"That's completely out of conversation," she said crossing her arms over her chest. Ichigo was looking at Rukia with huge eyes. So she actually got a scholarship and refused to go! What the hell was her problem?

"Kaien was a photographer back then." He heard Renji whispering in his ear. All his world came crushing down on him. So she gave up her dream because of a guy? This was impossible! Kuchiki Rukia wasn't like that, was she? He saw Renji looking at him with a kind of glint in his eyes.

"If you say so Rukia," Lantis said. Rukia? When did this man come to talk to her on first name basis? Ichigo was just about to jump on him when a hand grabbed his arm. He turned and saw Hisagi looking at him.

Rukia missed all this but Lantis knew what was going on. It was pretty obvious since the moment he got into the restaurant. Actually, Lantis saw him standing in front of the restaurant and also saw him marching into the restaurant and showing this table to the receptionist. Ichigo was seeing him as a rival. But he was wrong. It wasn't that Rukia wasn't amazing, smart, and beautiful, but he was interested in someone else. That someone was the one who got this job for Rukia and told him about the orange-haired writer and the Kuchiki princess. He was here to make sure that they came together. His lover was dying to see this. He smiled. This was going to be interesting.

After dozens of death glares, 3 bottles of wine and a lot of talking about the new modeling issue. They asked for the bill and bid each other good night. They spent more time there than they'd intended to do.

Rukia started to walk back to Las Noches. Ichigo was following her with Hisagi and Renji on his heels.

"You go to Hisagi's place. I'll catch up with you later." He turned to face the guys. They stopped and turned away to walk in another direction. He slowed his pace when he saw Rukia stop and wait for him.

"What do you want Kurosaki?" She asked, looking at him with cold violet eyes.

"You know acting cold is not going to work on me, and neither will calling me _Kurosaki_." He said reaching for her hand, but she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

"I'm not acting cold for nothing or calling you Kurosaki. It's because of how I feel, not because what you have done."

"Well you weren't talking like that 4 nights ago." He bent and whispered in her ear, which had no effect on Rukia. Ichigo started to think that she was spending too much time with Byakuya.

"How unfortunate for you that it was, exactly as you stated, 4 nights ago. Which means that a lots of things can change in four nights." She said averting her gaze from him. She turned her back and started to walk again with Ichigo following her like a puppy.

"Oh really? Like Kaien kissing you or finding yourself a new _love_ interest?" he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"What the hell are you talking about?!?! You are digging your own grave with each word Ichigo, and if I were you I would stop before I make an unthinkable mistake." She said stopping in her tracks.

"At least I made you call me Ichigo!" He exclaimed with victory in his tone. Rukia rolled her eyes and started to walk again. He was a moron and every minute she spent with him was a waste. _You weren't saying like that four nights ago!_ His voice echoed in her head like it was her own mind speaking.

"You are unbelievable!!" she said rather loudly, throwing her arms in the air. He grabbed one of her arms and turned her towards him, still holding her arm in a firm grasp, afraid she might run away.

"Look I guess there has been a misunderstanding, Rukia. Maybe we should talk about it when we're both thinking rationally. I would really like to explain. Actually I have been trying for few days but you haven't been answering my calls or opening the door even though you are inside." Rukia was looking at him with an expressionless face.

"Just give yourself sometime; I'm not the one that needs to be coolheaded in this. You are the one who doesn't know how to act let alone how to talk. And if you are planning to explain every thing you did_ wrong_, then we have to sit and talk for a week, which I highly doubt that you can make it without screwing it up again after three sentences… Now if you will excuse me." she took her arm back and continued to walk, leaving a dumbstruck Ichigo behind, for the second time in four days.

-----------------------

**raBBit's bla bla: **so what do you say? I know you want to kill me(because I put Kaien in it again and actually we have a new GUY). Who do you think Lantis's girlfriend is? And tell me how many of you know the original Lantis(actually you have to picture that original Lantis) so that I will give you a link to his pic next time_-grins evilly- _No worries if Ichigo has someone to get jealous, I will definitely give Rukia someone to keep her mind busy. And can you guess who is that? I gave the hint few chapters ago!

**B/R note-hah!** Lantis sounds like SUCH a hottie hahaha, don't you all think? Anyway, I'd like to say that this whole thing is going to get real good so stay tuned, but not for awhile since our lovely rabbit has to update her other stories too you know! Check out her other one too! Its called 'I Have Promises to Keep Miles to Go Before I sleep'. That's a line from a poem by Robert frost, by the way.--jtgirl out!


	17. Chapter 17

**Discliamer: **not mine!

**raBBit's nonsense talk:** I'm SO sorry for the delay but I had my exams(still have) and I had a writers block on the fic. I hope it worth waiting because I tried hard to put them together again. I'm at a point where I know what will happen but I don't know how to tie things to get there. Thanks to my beta, I was able to put this in front of you. Now go and read it! Don't forget to review!!! Save the bunnies!

**If You Forget Me**

I want you to know  
one thing.

You know how this is:  
if I look  
at the crystal moon, at the red branch  
of the slow autumn at my window,  
if I touch  
near the fire  
the impalpable ash  
or the wrinkled body of the log,  
everything carries me to you,  
as if everything that exists,  
aromas, light, metals,  
were little boats  
that sail  
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,  
if little by little you stop loving me  
I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly  
you forget me  
do not look for me,  
for I shall already have forgotten you.  
If you think it long and mad,  
the wind of banners  
that passes through my life,  
and you decide  
to leave me at the shore  
of the heart where I have roots,  
remember  
that on that day,  
at that hour,  
I shall lift my arms  
and my roots will set off  
to seek another land.

But  
if each day,  
each hour,  
you feel that you are destined for me  
with implacable sweetness,  
if each day a flower  
climbs up to your lips to seek me,  
ah my love, ah my own,  
in me all that fire is repeated,  
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,  
my love feeds on your love, beloved,  
and as long as you live it will be in your arms  
without leaving mine.

Pablo Neruda

_If You Forget Me_

"If looks could kill I was already dead by now," Lantis said, standing next to Rukia who was looking at some new pictures with her hands on her hips.

"Don't worry I'm sure he is harmless," Rukia answered coolly, looking through a file.

"When are you going to tell him that I'm actually with Soi-Fong?" He asked nervously, stealing glances from Ichigo who was glaring daggers at him.

"Well why is that so important anyway? Its not like he is going to jump on you or something!" She insisted, finally looking at him.

"Really? I think quite the opposite my darling. I think he sees me as his competition," he said with a sad voice.

"Competition?!?! You have to be kidding me! Surely by now, an intelligent man like yourself should understand that we are not together," she concluded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ah, no. I think he thinks you are together or something like that. Seriously what happened so bad that made you avoid him for the last 10 days?" Lantis asked, taking his jacket off.

"I don't like to talk about my personal life, so you shouldn't concern yourself with it," she answered nonchalantly, turning back to the file at hand.

"It does concern me because my life is on the line. From what I know, he is a bit aggressive when he is angry and as you can see, he looks pretty pissed off."

"You mean the scowl? Nah, that's his usual face. Don't get paranoid." She was enjoying this actually. She understood that avoiding Ichigo was the worst thing you could do to get on his nerves. Not to mention that she'd been calling him _Kurosaki-san_. After every interaction she had to lock herself in a room and laugh her ass off with tears in her eyes. She'd never had such fun while torturing someone.

Truth be told, she couldn't help with torturing him because he'd been getting on her nerves with his actions. Within ten days he became _very_ possessive and pretty daring. And unfortunately her friends were helping him. He was acting weird around Lantis and two days ago she'd seen Shuuhei grabbing his arm to stop him doing something but she didn't know what, so she shrugged off the thought like any other one.

What he has done and said was still hurting even after all this time. She didn't know what to do in the beginning. It was pretty weird when he came and kissed her on the lips in front of Lantis; it had been like they were together and that he was staking his claim on her. She couldn't give a meaning to that especially after she saw Renji and Shuuhei supporting him. What the hell was their problem? They supposed to watch her back, not help him break her heart!

She shook her head furiously to clear her thought. A sudden head-ache hit her like nothing and here she was rubbing her temples. Lantis put his large hand on her shoulder and looked at her with concern in his violet eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah…I guess I'm having the most horrible headache ever." She tried to smile at him, but she failed.

"Maybe you should lie down," he said holding her by the arm to help her to her feet. "Looking at pictures for too long can cause skull crushing aches." He smiled at her.

"Yeah I guess it's because of that and it's only the trials….God I'm not sure if I can handle seeing eye-blinding orange hair in every single negative!" She stood on her feet and started to walk towards the couch in the studio. It was sometime in the afternoon and guys were out because she because Lantis sent them away to look at the pictures in peace.

She gently lay herself down on the couch and closed her eyes. Her headache slowly subsiding, she felt sleep coming over her and she welcomed it with arms wide open.

---------------

"Damn it!" Ichigo kicked the nearest trashcan. Renji and Shuuhei looked at him with amusement and concern in their eyes. Their friend was not the type to show emotions but somehow he was getting softer each passing day.

"Calm down Ichigo…they will just be looking at the pictures they have taken. What could happen, anyway?" Renji asked with his hands in his pockets, walking down the street.

Of course Ichigo didn't want to tell him what _could_ happen. _Well something definitely would happen if it were you, since you barely manage to keep your hands off of her! _There it was; that new voice in his head. The voice of his subconscious, which he affectionately named as Rukia's fanboy. He was always talking about how she looked good and how cute was the faces she made while she was working. Of course that side was not the only side who was working (thinking) continuously. There was that Perverted side which was always complimenting on the tightness of her jeans or how low-rise they were. How the strap of her bra was visible from her shirt. It was continuously reminding him how good she tasted, how her skin felt under his touch and how she sounded. God, he was dying to hear his name from her lips!

All in all he developed two personalities in his head and both of them, apart from the real Ichigo, was agreed that Rukia was the girl he suppose to love and hold, though they disagreed when it came to what kind of 'holding' it was going to be. Usually the perverted side won that battle.

Ichigo sighed and shook his head. He was really depressed for the past 10 days. He was barely sleeping, he felt his skin getting tighter and his thoughts were full of none other than Kuchiki Rukia, so he was practically unable to continue writing.

He developed a new routine in which he got up from 2-3 hours of sleep, took a shower, went to the studio, got back to his house and watched TV until he fell asleep on his couch at around 4-5 p.m. This was really unhealthy and surely they were going to realize it because his look started to change in a negative way, not to mention he was scowling more than ever.

It was really funny how such a girl had such power on him. He has never been the type fall prey to the wiles of girls and he didn't know what was happening to him. But if this was that situation then he could safely say he didn't like it.

"Oi Ichigo, Renji said something!" Shuuhei nudged him with his elbow. Ichigo scowled.

"Surely as a guy you must know the answer to a question like 'What could happen?'" When Ichigo said that, Shuuhei thought he was really funny when he was offended. His brow was more furrowed than ever and he had that fire in his eyes which they knew very well. He sighed and entered a restaurant where they could grab something to eat.

--------------------------------------

"How I wish murder was still legal or that we lived in some deserted area where people made their own rules and stealing someone's woman was a crime got you the death penalty." Ichigo was thinking loudly while scowling down at the contents of his plate.

"Well there are still ways…" Renji started but stopped when he felt a sharp pain spreading around his feet. Shuuhei was stepping on his foot under the table.

"Don't worry about it Ichigo…I mean Lantis is not her type…I think," he stated abruptly.

"You think so? Let me check…the guy has black hair pale skin, a skinny but well-defined body and he's tall. He looks smart, especially when he is talking about operas…Did I skip anything?" Ichigo asked, holding Shuuhei's gaze. Shuuhei thought that he had a point but before he could say anything he saw Ichigo' eyes widening and an unidentifiable emotion crossed his amber eyes.

When he turned to look at where Ichigo was looking, he saw Lantis entering the restaurant. He immediately named the previous emotion. It was hate…

They watched Lantis as he calmly ordered his meal and watched him walking towards their table. He suddenly sat himself down on their table and looked at them with a nonchalant expression on his face.

"Even though she is going to kill me for doing so, I have to tell you something because she refused to tell even after I begged," Lantis started his speech calmly but Shuuhei was on alert to grab Ichigo if he would do something unthinkable. There were lots of things that a Kurosaki Ichigo could do when he lost it.

"Please enlighten us," Ichigo said. He spoke with an ice cold voice which could freeze even the Devil's blood in his veins.

"I'm with Soi-Fong…I'm not after Rukia, even though I think she is hot," he said with a smug smirk on his face. He was confident that Ichigo had no reason to jump on him anymore.

"With…Soi-Fong!?!?!" Renji asked, bewildered. All the time they were thinking he was after Rukia, when he was actually with Soi-Fong!

"So?" They heard Ichigo asking. Lantis blinked. What the hell was he talking about?

"So I'm not after Rukia!" he exclaimed.

"But you said yourself that she is hot, right?" Ichigo asked with a stern face, looking directly in Lantis' violet eyes.

"Y-Yeah…" Lantis felt that the words die in his throat. Suddenly Ichigo's hand was gripping his shoulder painfully. But damn, he was strong. Stronger than he looked anyway.

"If I hear Rukia's name coming, among words like hot, from you mouth ever again, I will make sure that you no longer possess a tongue to speak let alone make the smallest noise." Ichigo assured him, his hand on Lantis' shoulder was gripping it tightly. Lantis knew that was a real threat so he decided to shut his mouth. He only nodded towards him.

The tension in the air was cut by the waiter who brought Lantis' package.

"Fong-Fong wanted me to bring something to eat," he said with a smile on his face. He fished for something in his pocket. Then he turned and looked at the guys.

"Rukia is sleeping on the couch in the studio. Make sure she gets home." And with that said Lantis tossed the keys to the studio to Ichigo who had some sort of unreadable expression on his face along with his infamous scowl.

He walked out of the restaurant leaving a dumbfounded Renji, an amazed Shuuhei and a God-knows-what-he-feels-Ichigo behind.

---------------------------

Ichigo felt someone caressing his hair and looked up to see Rukia still sleeping and drooling on the couch. But her hand was in his hair and from what it seemed she was oblivious to it. He suddenly felt enormous pain shooting through his scalp. Now the midget was pulling his hair.

"Oi, Rukia!!!" He yelled and suddenly felt someone jerking up. He looked over his shoulder and saw Rukia hugging her knees to her chest on the couch.

"Welcome back to earth midget…God you have such a strong grip!" He touched his head and rubbed the spot where she'd pulled tenderly.

"I-I'm sorry…I fell asleep," she said, her voice shaking. Ichigo looked at her. Her eyes were a unfocused and she was sweating.

"Really? Oh you are so clever…midget." He turned back to his previous position in which he was sitting near the couch, on the floor with his back resting against it.

"Moron…" Ichigo heard her grumble.

"Nightmare?" he asked innocently, still not turning and looking at her. He somehow wanted to give her some space.

"Kind of," she whispered. It was not a nightmare but she could name it as a nightmare since her relationship with Ichigo was not going anywhere. She'd had a dream that was a more heated version of their previous encounter. It was really scary, come to think of it; the yearning she felt for him was beyond any reason or explanation.

Ichigo turned and looked up at Rukia. She was kinda panting now. He put his arms under his chin, resting them on the couch, his legs under him, still on the floor. He heard her sigh; it was a sweet one, very fragile.

"You know you can tell me whenever you want." Rukia heard him whispering without any hesitance. How could she tell him what she saw, how she felt?

"I know…thanks," She answered, trying to smile.

"You know you don't need to assure me that you are alright. I can almost feel your distraught." He helped himself up and slumped down on the couch, next to her. She was still hugging her legs tightly.

The moment Ichigo sat next to her a sudden sense of safety engulfed her. It was he who was causing her distress but also it was he who was calming her. She thought that it was highly ironic.

"Seriously…it's nothing important Ichigo," she said with a small voice.

"Thank God….you started to call me Ichigo after 10 days. You really know how to get on my nerves." He said wrapping his strong arms around her shoulders and pulling her to himself.

"Call it a moment of weakness." He could hear her smile which was smugly spread across her face.

"We need to talk about it, you know." He sighed down on her face which was resting on his chest.

"Not today…not now at least," she said rising her head from his chest. She rose to her feet and started to gather her things.

"Are we going?" Ichigo asked, fixing his clothes.

"We? What time is it by the way?" she asked, grabbing her jacket from the chair.

"Yes, we…I'm going to drop you off at your house since you don't have your car. And its 10:30…P.M." he saw her eyes widening and smirked.

"I'm getting lazier with every passing minute!" She said throwing her arms in the air. Ichigo laughed. This was the second time she heard him laugh and she felt warmth spread throughout her body. Rukia looked startled and blinked. She then felt an arm snaking around her waist and felt warm breath on her cheek.

"Tell this to anyone and I will make sure you won't talk again." He whispered in her ear. God but this was sexy! Especially after such a heated dream. Rukia had to shake her head to clear her thoughts.

--------------------------

Sooner than she could imagine they were in his car, driving down the street towards her house. Her eyes were fluttering shut every few minutes out of fatigue.

Truth be told, she hadn't been sleeping well lately. All she could think about was Ichigo and how they were going to manage to survive through the shitty situation that they were in.

On the other side of the car Ichigo was watching Rukia intently. She looked really tired lately like she hadn't been sleeping. And as he guessed, her head fell to the side, resting on the window. He figured that she was just sleepless as he was.

He knew he was wrong to do such a thing but he was scared at the beginning. He was the reason why she couldn't go to Italy and he didn't want to be the reason if she couldn't succeed in this. Maybe he was selfish but he also knew that he cared about her much more than he wanted to admit.

They were in front of her apartment not more than fifteen minutes later and she was fast asleep in his passenger seat. So he opened his door, got out and went to her side. He opened her door and gently put his arms around her.

"Rukia put your arm around my neck," he whispered in her ear and her arms automatically encircled his neck. He held her and lifted her up from the seat. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist and put her head on his shoulder.

She wasn't heavy so it was easy to carry her. He locked his car easily and headed towards the entrance of the apartment with Rukia wrapped around him.

"Good evening, Tetsuo." Ichigo greeted the gatekeeper.

"Good evening Kurosaki-san. Do you need any help with Kuchiki-san?" He offered.

"Nope…but thanks for asking. She's not really heavy as you can guess." He said with a smirk. The gatekeeper helped him by opening the door of the elevator. Ichigo thanked the man and stepped into the shaft.

He struggled to find her keys in her pockets. And when he opened the door, he felt something tugging at his jeans. He guessed it was Chappy. He walked past the beast and headed towards her room.

It has been 10 days since that day and he realized that he missed the cozy decoration of her house. It felt like home and he had to admit that he liked this place more than his own house. Maybe it was because Rukia was living in here and everything resembled her.

He gently laid her down on her bed and went looking for her PJs. He started to open the drawers in her closet.

1st- t-shirts

2nd-hats and scarves and gloves?!?

3rd-OH NO!!!

4th-YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!!!

5th-socks!

But no PJs or anything. He got frustrated and opened a drawer next to the shoe section. There he stood, seeing one of the sexiest drawers EVER after the 3rd and 4th ones of course. He arched an eyebrow looking at the nightgowns of every color and fabric. He saw a black cotton thing and grabbed it. When he unfolded it, his jaw dropped to the floor. He groaned and looked at the girl sleeping on the bed. It was a black cotton nightdress with a motorcyclist Chappy in leather pants and jacket. He almost laughed at the thought. Come to think of it, it was cute and funny. So he decided to dress her in that.

He slowly held a very deeply sleeping Rukia and started to undress her. He took her jacket and shirt. He tried not to look at her but it was practically impossible, so he took his time admiring her good taste in lingerie. Finally after 15 minutes he was able to put her back in the bed, fully clothed with her Chappy the maniac rabbit nightdress.

He sighed looking at his masterpiece(which was Rukia) and decided to leave the room before he fell on the bed and let himself sleep. She would probably have his balls for that in the morning.

He walked out of the room and saw Chappy waiting in front of the door with his leash hanging from the sides of his mouth, covered with his saliva. Ichigo sighed and looked at the dog which was shaking his tail with excitement. It was cute really. And it seemed like this dog held some special part in Rukia's heart.

Ichigo arched an eyebrow and grabbed the leash, hooking it to Chappy's collar. He could do Rukia one last favor, at least the poor dog needed to pee, right?

He slowly walked out of the door with Chappy next to him and closed it behind him, putting the keys in his pocket.

He could be friends with Chappy. Roy Alton Blount, Jr. once said 'A dog will look at you as if to say, "What do you want me to do for you? I'll do anything for you." Whether a dog can in fact, do anything for you if you don't have sheep is another matter. The dog is willing.' And all Ichigo wanted was to have his mistress. That wasn't a big thing, right?

Yeah it was definitely not a big thing.

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**raBBit's bla bla: **So what do you think guys? I have a dog and I don't think I will be able to keep myself from writing Chappy _–grins evilly-_ anyway, so here I'm trying to fiz things up for you guys, I hope you liked it. By the way I have started a new fic by taking Karenkate-kitty's advice about plot bunnies. I don't know if you will like it but I will be posting it in a few days. Its being checked by my beloved beta…I'm out, Cheers!

**B/R note--**hooray for chapter 17! Looks like some development in their relationship i suppose. Now that we know that jenkins is with soifon (im so jealous!!), i suppose ichigo isn't AS jealous...wat a possessive man! Lol.

See you next time around!


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **Kubo Tite is one lucky….you know what I mean. I do not own this. It belongs to the man!

**raBBit's nonsense talk:** Guys I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. First of all I have to apologize because normally I update fast but lately you know that I have been occupied with my Exams; but luckily(for you) it came to an end today(of course until my finals which are in June_-sighs-_). My beta is also dealing with real life so it took us a little to put this chapter in front of you and my huge thanks goes to her since she put her time in it. I hope you like it, because I enjoyed writing it. I don't think the poet of this piece is famous but I stumbled upon it while surfing and I loved it, so I decided to put it in here. Enjoy and review and I don't need to mention cookies anymore because I'm opening a bakery!

**My Lady Love-So Near And Dear.**

That windsome wench who came on down to my silly stupid rescue...  
I had no need for sympathy-Not even hers.

Is this my quest, my test-Her curse? ...  
Nay-nay or even yea.  
Is this how i am to pay for this day?

Naught needy or speedy or one well acquainted...Am I by her dubbed and saved by one's beauty-Who be eternally Sainted?

Lest ye whisper to her ear...  
'My Lady love so dear and near'.

Come to thee and hither not...  
Cannot i wait here too long to rot?

To taste your bod' as like a steak...  
Your love by me-Be no mistake.

As the wind parts gentle breezed of waves in hair so fine...My heart for thee beats tender muffled beats of love-Yearning yon beats of your own.

Perhaps our love in heart may partake more many years n'ee'r apart...  
Are we to kiss and spend times entwine?

Will you dare to dare be mine? ...  
Will this old brown and gray bearded lips taste of yours?

Can i survive my fall into your lusterous beauty like stare? ...  
Can i swim into your ever embraceful care?

Yes-I intend to surface and carefully  
tread your timeless beauty of thine...  
Fro' your love t'will i succomb to and of wine and dine.

Michael Gale

_My Lady Love-So Near And Dear_

_He opened his eyes to see Rukia standing in front of the couch. She was still wearing her fluffy-looking nightdress. She bent down and started to crawl towards his body lying on the couch. Before he could comprehend what was going on, she crushed her lips to his in a powerful kiss. He felt his brain shutting down immediately as he slide his hands into her ultra short nightdress, sliding up from her creamy tights to her marvelous ass. He grabbed her ass and pulled her down on to him forcefully._

_He heard her groan into his mouth and taking advantage of that he deepened the kiss, his hand moving upwards on her back. He felt her hands holding his hair tightly. She suddenly tore her mouth away only to trail hot kisses down his neck. God, but he loved that side of her! _

_Before he managed to say anything she started to suck on his earlobe and Ichigo lost it completely. He tried to get a hold of her but it was practically impossible. Gods but how he wanted to grab her and throw her on her back!!! He suddenly felt a warm, wet feeling on his left foot. He groaned; this was a delicious feeling. He tried to look at Rukia and he saw that she was still busy with his neck. He blinked trying to get his focus. If Rukia was sucking on his neck then why the hell was his foot…_

He suddenly opened his eyes only to see the fluffy beast licking his left foot intently, like he was working on a bone!!!!

"AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" He yelled and threw himself to the other side of the room.

_SHIT!!! He was not at home and this was not his couch on which he was drooling!!_

So…

"Shit…" he whispered. He'd fallen asleep on her couch after bringing Chappy back, feeding him and caressing the beast until he fell asleep. He didn't remember the rest. So now he was face to face with the said dog, sitting on the arm of the couch, his heart pounding fast against his ribcage.

"He has a tendency to do that." He jumped two feet above when he heard the super calm voice of one Kuchiki Rukia. He slowly turned his head towards the voice.

_Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!_

It was good to live at least 21 years of his life. Though he made mistakes he could surely make amends for his behavior. But surely it was not heaven what was waiting for him… He looked at Rukia who was calmly sitting on the stool of her kitchen counter, slowly sipping a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper in front of her.

"I-I can explain!" He roared, a little too defensive. Rukia looked up from her newspaper, placing her cup down on the counter.

"Explain what exactly?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. She thought something was awfully wrong with Ichigo but she didn't know what.

"Uhm…the reason I slept on your couch…" He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Oh, I guess among the lines of that explanation something will surely come up about the reason why I'm wearing_ this_ nightdress," she said. Once again, her tone was too calm for Ichigo's taste. He gulped again.

"On second thought...I don't think I have to explain anything to you." He rose from the couch, crossing his arms over his chest, and walked towards the kitchen counter. Rukia arched an eyebrow.

"Really? I wasn't thinking anything bad but you arrogantly ruined the complete calm and serene moment." She rose from the stool. Now he was definitely freaked out. He felt adrenalin pumping through his veins. When Rukia was inches away from him, he shut his eyes. Expecting her to knee him in shin, or punch in the face… but neither came! On the contrary, he felt soft lips brushing against him and his eyes snapped open.

"Thank you for taking care of my boy…I don't think I would be able to do it. I was so damn tired." She murmured against his lips. He was frozen on the spot. He couldn't move a muscle let alone think of a coherent sentence to answer.

He was having serious inner battles as she was walking away. A part of him just wanted to go and grab her, throw her over his shoulder and lock her _with himself_ alone in her room for the next week. But the other part was too afraid to interpret her kindness into sexuality. Maybe she just had a kind heart that could appreciated good help.

_Oh she is such a goddess who bestows her beauty and elegance upon such disgraceful creature like us!_ The Rukia _fanboy_ side of his mind screamed a little too dramatically.

_No fucking way!!! God damn it, go and grab her!!! What the hell is wrong with you, moron! She wants it…its as clear as the fucking day!!! _The infamous perverted part had always had an oppositional thought. Much to pervert's dismay Ichigo was thinking exactly like the fanboy side. So it wasn't too hard for him to decide what to do.

He slowly walked towards the counter and sat down on the other stool. He could wait. They weren't on good terms, yet. So it was wise to take the advice of the worshipper part. He always knew what to do better than the perverted side. Why the hell didn't he develop that side sooner!?!? He watched her filling a cup for him and he took the newspaper to have a look at it.

"So…what are we doing today?" He asked like it was normal thing for him to be in her house in the morning, sipping coffee with her, looking at news paper. Really, someone could get used to that so easily.

"Well, Lantis says that we have to find a girl next to you, so he is going to bring the candidates to the studio so that we an pick one," she said coolly, opening her refrigerator to take out some chocolate cake.

"What?!?! Why the hell do we need girls?" he asked putting down his cup a little too forcefully. Rukia looked up at him. Seriously what was his problem? They were trying to fix a hot chick to stand next to him and all he did was to complain. Suddenly her phone rang. She saw Lantis' number so she pushed the speaker button.

"Good morning Lantis," she greeted him.

"_Oi, Rukia…how is my wonderful girl doing?"_ he asked which made Ichigo's blood boil even though he knew that Lantis was with Soi-Fong. _My_ girl was the wrong combination of words to use so early in the morning.

"Good…I'm trying to explain Ichigo that we are going to find a girl for him,." she said nonchalantly.

"_Ouch! Good luck!!!"_ he cheered.

"Oi, Lantis?" Now Ichigo was talking. He heard someone gulping.

"_Good morning Kurosaki."_ He greeted, like implying on his rudeness.

"Why the hell do I have to pose with some sort of a brainless twit?!?!" He asked. Rukia's eyes widened at how he described the girl.

"_Well…because there are some clothes for girls on that catalog too."_ He reasoned.

"Can't Rukia do that?" Ichigo asked. Rukia's jaw dropped. She knew Lantis was getting his jaw back from the floor.

"_Uhm…No,_" he answered simply.

"Why the hell not?!?! I see nothing wrong! At least she is familiar with me and with my…you know." Rukia saw him blushing. _No, I don't know,_ she thought._ Care to explain?_

"_Ichigo though I think she is h-…suitable, the company wants someone with a different profile…how can I explain this? A TALL, slim/slender girl with long brown hair."_ He tried to give an example.

"Oh…" He was still trying to understand the reason behind it. "Why brown hair?" He finally asked.

"_Because you have orange hair and if Rukia would be posing that would create a sharp contrast_," he said.

"I always thought that you people wanted some sort of _contrast_," he said looking at Rukia who was looking back at him. Their eyes locked for few minutes until he tore his and dropped them on the paper.

"_You see…we don't want you to be under the shadow of the girl. _You_ are the main point so we don't need to focus the consumer on another object. It's supposed to be you. If we put Rukia, that will attract attention on her and the possible link between you two which will distract the reader while we want them to focus on you and only you."_ So this was it. Ichigo understood pretty much easily this time. They all had a good reason.

"So when do I suppose to meet that person?" he asked.

"_Today we will try to choose one, but I guess I already found the perfect one the other day,"_ Lantis said.

"Good! Don't forget to bring some food with you, or order. This will be a crowded day in the studio!" Rukia cheered and jumped into the conversation before they bid each other good day until they meet again.

Ichigo then turned and looked at her still roaming form in the kitchen. She was calm and he didn't know why she was calm. She could kick his ass for invading her personal space like that. She was supposed to still be angry with him. Or did he dare think that she forgave him!

"Rukia?" He hesitantly called her name in a soft voice.

"Yeah?" She turned and looked at him. She looked really cute in that short-sleeved black, comfy, cute nightdress. He smiled at the thought but Rukia saw that and arched an eyebrow.

"Uhm…aren't you still mad at me?" he asked quickly.

"Well I was until I realized that you are an emotionally retarded person…that was around 4-5 days ago." She said bringing her coffee mug to her lips. She had an arrogant smirk on her face and it was pretty obvious that she was enjoying this.

"You think so?!?!" Ichigo was irritated by her description. He was so not emotionally retarded!

"No…I know so!" She said, giggling. She really liked to tease him about his intelligence. This was fun but deep down in somewhere it helped Rukia to get over her anger for Ichigo. She was serious when she was calling him emotionally retarded because she knew he had some serious problems with his feelings. What kind of a guy could kiss like that and act like he felt nothing? Two options: one he was a real player and two he really didn't know the meaning of his feelings. She couldn't bring herself to think of him as a player so she chose the second option and focused on that.

"Why you insolent….." Ichigo growled and then looked at her relaxed expression. If this was helping her to forget what he has done then he could handle the insults for now. At least she didn't kick him out or shout at him for falling asleep on her couch. That was a start and since Chappy was chewing his other sock now, which meant he had a reason to be on her good side. He smiled warmly at the thought.

"What are you smiling for, idiot? We are going to be late if you continue to keep that fat ass of yours on that stool!" She shouted and disappeared after her bedroom door.

Yes, today was going to be fun.

---------------------------

"So this is Umi huh?" Rukia asked, eyeing the gorgeous looking girl with skeptical violet eyes. She tapped her chin and looked at Ichigo who was frowning down at his coffee while sitting on the couch in the studio. He didn't look happy.

"Oi, Kurosaki-kun! Will you please come here?" She asked.

He rose from the couch and walked towards her with his coffee in his hand. He was wearing one of the outfits that he was supposed to wear for the shoot. Some guy and a girl were showing him different clothes with different arrangements. And now was the best time to get rid of that.

"Yeah?" he stood next to Rukia and looked down at her. She pointed the girl with her head and Ichigo turned towards the girl to see who she was.

"Umi? What the hell are you doing in here?" he asked, a little shocked.

"Uhm….you see Kurosaki-kun, Mr. Jenkins thinks that I might be…suitable for this thing." She looked confused too. Her blue eyes shining. Rukia felt something building in her. Her left hand twitched but she didn't know what it wanted to do so badly. Maybe slap her hard across the face for blushing while talking to Ichigo? No, that would be rude, right?

"Really? I thought she couldn't leave her place in the office." Ichigo stated turning and looking at Lantis.

"Oh, don't worry about that! Fong-Fong begged a little for me, so now I found the girl I wanted." He had a broad grin plastered on his face.

Rukia slowly walked away from the group who was still discussing why Umi was here. Her mind was full of questions like how good Ichigo knew her or were they friends or ex-lovers.

She walked past the big table in the middle of the room and stood next to her table where she'd laid the photos that they took yesterday.

"So is she the best you could think for me?" She heard Ichigo's voice next to her ear and jumped.

"Geez! Are you trying to give me a heart attack Kurosaki?" Oh, she was back to Kurosaki again. That couldn't be good.

"Of course not…but I wasn't expecting to see her." He scratched the back of his head which meant he was nervous. Rukia's suspicions were coming clear; there was definitely something between them.

"Why? Does she have some sort of effect on you that Risa has?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

"W-What? What effect are you talking about?!?" He took a step closer to her.

"Well Kurosaki do I look like some sort of an idiot?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She was definitely on her guard.

"My, my, the almighty Kuchiki Rukia is jealous!" He smiled mischievously.

"Why would I be jealous of someone who doesn't belong to me? It's not like you are my property or something."

"Maybe I would love to be your 'property', with your name branded somewhere on me perhaps?" She wanted to reach and slap him across the face just to wipe that smirk from his face.

"Oh, my! Are you flirting with me?"

"Absolutely not. My lady says that I'm incapable of things like that. She defines me as an emotionally retarded person but such hurtful words flow like the words of deep affection from the sweet lips of my beloved one." Wow, she loved the way he talked.

"I'm sure your lady has her reasons to call you such a deviant name." She reasoned, knowing perfectly who the _lady_ was.

"You see, you would love to meet her. She has the midnight sky for her hair, the finest china silk for her skin, the most delicious and softest peach for her lips and finally she has the deepest ocean for her eyes. My lady has been touched by the most gracious gods and I can't seem to do anything but worship the ground she walks. At least that's what she deserves as a goddess." Rukia started to blush after that and she couldn't control her feelings. She just wanted to jump on him and bury her nose in his neck to smell that amazing masculine smell he had. He was all she needed but at the same time all she had to stay away from. God but he had his own way of getting under her skin.

"Your lady must have possessed one of the biggest hearts to tolerate and love such a person like yourself." She offered, trying to hide her furious blushing. She didn't want him to know that he was capable of affecting her with just words.

"Oh, I don't know if my lady loves me though. I worship her from a far cause she is like the wildest wind that will lift you up off the ground. She is like the most uncontrollable fire that burns you without even touching you. She is like the strongest river that could drown you before you process what's going on. Surely my lady has the sun as her heart, warm and big. But I'm not sure if I have a place in it or will manage to survive incase I will be exposed to it." Now his face was inches away from her and she could feel his soft breath on her face. She didn't dare to look at him in the eye, afraid to see what she wanted to see during all those agonizing nights.

"Then you should keep that lady of yours close to you because surely there will be some others who share the same opinion with you," she whispered looking directly in his soft amber eyes. With that said she turned and started to walk away from him, leaving him there standing and dumbfounded. He blinked once and then twice. Was she warning him that there are other potentials? Oh, how he would gladly rip their throats!

"Wow, Ichigo now I know why they call you the writer of the year. Not to mention your power on the girls." There was Lantis standing next to him and smirking at him.

"Don't ask, I don't know what came over me but I don't think that affected her." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked towards the guy who was responsible for his _wardrobe_.

----------------------------------

"No no no no…Its not like that! Just wrap your arms around his torso!!! That can't be so hard." Lantis was now walking on the borders of insanity. There was always some difficulty with working someone who had no idea in modeling but Umi was making it harder than ever.

"It's not me." Rukia heard her whisper, and grabbed Lantis' arm to drag him away from the set.

"Maybe its related with Ichigo." She whispered to Lantis, who was leaning into her. He tapped his chin and looked at the couple.

Ichigo was wearing dark grey cargo pants and a pastel brown t-shirt on it with a skull on the front. He was also wearing a brown leather wristband and his hair was ruffled. He was trying to stay away from the girl next to him, his scowl was deeper, as if possible, and it looked more permanent then ever.

Lantis slowly walked towards the couple with Rukia by his side. She put her hands in her back pockets and stared at them, waiting for Lantis to say something.

"Tell me whats the problem," he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. Ichigo was startled from his serious tone, so he arched an eyebrow.

"Uhm…I don't think Kurosaki-kun wants me to touch him," Umi said, her face getting redder with every word.

"Its not that…" Ichigo sighed and closed his eyes, "I just don't like people to invade my personal space. I told you that I would be more comfortable with Rukia, because my body is used to her. I was telling you this morning that how it would end, because I know myself!" His voice was rising with every word.

"And if I'm not mistaken I already told you that Rukia is short and has her own image which can easily surpass yours. Seriously Ichigo you should give it a try because you are going to be working with Umi-chan. So you better get used to her 'invading' your personal space."

Now everyone was throwing each other death glares. Ichigo was too uncomfortable for his own taste and he didn't want to give Umi anything that might lead her to misunderstandings. He was aware of her little crush on him. He thought that maybe he could tell that to Lantis.

"Can I talk to you guys for a second?" He asked scratching the back of his head. Oh, no this was definitely not a good sign.

Rukia, Ichigo and Lantis walked away from Umi as far as possible, who was now surrounded by the two freaks that had been dressing them up like dolls.

"Look…I don't know how to put it but this Umi girl has developed some sort of_ crush _on me for the past year and I'm very uncomfortable around her." Now all Rukia wanted to do was to go and strangle her. Maybe she would just hit her with her car while she was walking down the street with her miles long legs and that irritatingly shiny brown hair. As Shuuhei always said murder was still illegal.

"I didn't know that. But I'm afraid she is still the best I can find. And before you ask Rukia is not an option so don't get obsessed over that thought." Lantis warned him.

"Its not that I'm obsessing over it. I'm telling just because I know how to touch her and it does not make me feel awkward. Besides I have some sort of retarded understanding of devotion, if you know what I mean." He looked directly in Lantis' eyes, which didn't even blink once.

"Of course I know what you mean. But we are trying to be professionals in here so try to act like one. Leave whatever you have out that door and just focus on working like you do with your writing."

"Its not that a girl is touching all over me when I'm writing! ...ok, just can't you find another one?" he offered as a last chance.

"No." And with that said Lantis turned his back to him and walked away from them. Rukia didn't understand what the hell was going on. Her brain stopped working after she heard Umi's name and 'having a crush' in the same sentence. She blinked and looked at Ichigo who was looking down at her intently. She looked up at him and saw some strange look in his eyes, but she couldn't name it.

They heard Lantis calling for an hour of break. He walked towards Rukia and looked at her with concern in his eyes. Ichigo was away drinking some coffee and reading a magazine by the window.

"How did you manage to find someone like him?" Lantis asked.

"Like who?" She was winding a film and labeling it.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. The boy has puppy-dog devotion! Not that I mind but are you sure that he doesn't have a problem?" He asked.

"He is just obsessed about his personal space and he is a private person. So surely he is irritated with such intimacy with unknown people." She continued to do her thing while answering him nonchalantly.

"I think it's not just that. Maybe he thinks that you will be upset with that situation?" He was trying to make her understand the situation without actually telling her outright.

"I don't think so Lantis…Look I'm going into the darkroom to print some of these, ok?" She walked towards the darkroom, leaving him there. He turned and looked Ichigo looking directly at him. It was a really unsettling feeling to know that someone was watching your every movement. But he was supposed to work under these conditions, Rukia was a hell of a good photographer and Ichigo looked cool enough and was popular enough to make the new face of the brand.

The last thing he saw before he went outside to get something to eat was Ichigo heading towards the darkroom.

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**raBBit's bla bla: **guys and girls! Tell me what do you think. Well as you can see our favorite couple is heading towards a darkroom…Hmmm I guess I have to thank Satan Hat for that idea and sure I will need some help with the terminology, but lets not talk about it in here. AND the next chapter of my new story is on the way I already outlined everything, so no worries about that. Thanks for everything guys you keep me writing on and on and on. Take care of yourself until next chapter, cheers!


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** how I wish I own bleach, so that I could turn it into a soap opera :)

**Rabbit's nonsense talk:** well I can't say how sorry I am for being this late but I was dealing with my finals and stuff and when they were over my mom dragged me to a vacation because of the "condition" that I was in(as you can imagine). But now I'm back and I'm planning to make a few fast updates, I hope you won't mind. Don't forget to review, you know how they keep me writing. Thanks for reading this and staying with me.

"I Am Not Yours"

I am not yours, not lost in you,  
Not lost, although I long to be  
Lost as a candle lit at noon,  
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still  
A spirit beautiful and bright,  
Yet I am I, who long to be  
Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love -- put out  
My senses, leave me deaf and blind,  
Swept by the tempest of your love,  
A taper in a rushing wind.

Sarah Teasdale

_I Am Not Yours_

Ichigo looked at Lantis and Rukia intently. He knew there was nothing going on between them, but he couldn't help but feel jealous. He left them to themselves a few minutes ago to get himself a cup of coffee, but he decided not to return to his place next to them. Instead, he sat near the huge window and picked up a magazine, pretending as if he was reading it.

But in truth he was thinking. He was thinking about Rukia and how their relationship had grown even closer than he could imagine. But there was something wrong and from what it seemed, Rukia hadn't noticed it yet. It was the fact that he had stayed the old, closed box, while she had told nearly everything about herself. It wasn't that he didn't want to say anything; he just didn't feel comfortable about it. But deep down he knew that he was afraid that Rukia might not want to be with someone like him.

It was this very fact that was scaring him shitless. He realized how much he came to love this girl, or rather, woman; how impossible it was for him to let her go. Though they were arguing and hurting each other, they were still coming back together. It gave him the sense that no matter what happened in their lives that they were going to end up together.

Ichigo found that this thought was more pleasant than he could ever admit. He looked outside the window and realized that winter was upon them. Rukia loved snow and Ichigo wanted to share those probably happy moments with her. Lately Ichigo just wanted to share everything with her. Even though his physical attraction towards the raven-haired beauty was bordering insanity, he still wanted to have a deeper relationship with her. Maybe a little more spiritual or…dare say emotional. He hated being vulnerable in front of others and he definitely loathed being weak but somehow he wanted to be weak for once and show his vulnerable side to her.

He remembered how they met and how they developed their relationship. He remembered how he felt the first time he saw her. He remembered her ivory dress and her cute shoes with her long raven hair in an elegant ponytail, leaving her creamy neck open to his gaze. He remembered how he felt when Kaien came and wrapped his arms around her shoulder. In fact, just remembering it made his blood boil and he growled silently. He remembered the way he found her lying on the couch with Hisagi and Renji. He remembered how they talked and had dinner together. He also remembered how he managed to break her heart occasionally. Yet she was still here, talking to him and even smiling at him. She really had the sun as her heart, warm and big. Ichigo smiled at the thought.

Lately he realized that he wanted to _woo_ her, if the term was right. He wanted to be her world, her only thought and he started to be jealous of everything around her. This was not a healthy thought, and he knew it wasn't, but he was slightly becoming obsessed over her. He would watch her eat, talk with others, even watch her breath (sometimes even listening to it). He tried to reason with himself using the excuse that he was a writer and he was just observing his _environment_; but soon this environment became Rukia and Rukia only. For the last week, he hadn't been able to think about anything other than her. He wasn't able to talk about anything other than her and lately he wasn't able to watch anything other than her. She became his day, and his night. She became his dreams, his nightmares, his hopes, his ups, and his downs. Oscar Wilde once said, "Illusions are the first of all pleasures." What he was doing now was creating an illusion with Rukia; the life he wanted to live, the man he wanted to be, no, longed to be. Somehow Rukia seemed liked the woman who would bring out his real side. The side that he didn't have to hide from the eyes of others. So why was he still hesitating to tell her more about himself? Was he still afraid? Was it even fair to expect her to open up and then hide everything from her? He was being senseless again.

He realized that his relationship with Risa was still a question mark in Rukia's mind. She thought that Risa held some power over him. But the only thing that woman held over him was his _beastie_ side. She didn't know shit about him, let alone his real self. But he had to admit that she helped a lot, _physically_, and when he thought about that, he started to feel unworthy of Rukia's love and attention. Though he wanted to have all of it to himself desperately, he didn't see himself worthy of it. This was the real problem. Somewhere at the back of his mind he felt that he had to tell her, warn her about what he was and how he lived so that she could decide if she wanted to stay. But the very selfish part of his mind kept telling him to keep it to himself until he was sure that she was going nowhere. He was afraid that she would think less of him and leave him to live his miserable life alone. He didn't want to give her an option, he just wanted to get under her skin, shake her world and make her addicted to him so that she would never be able to leave him once he was done with her. But he still possessed a conscience which talked to him everyday, at the most inappropriate moments.

He sighed and turned his face to look at where Rukia and Lantis were standing. He didn't know what they were talking about but he saw Rukia blushing prettily. Oh, how he loved it when she blushed. He saw her smiling at Lantis which caused him to feel jealous and he watched her turn and head towards the darkroom. After seeing Lantis' departure, he decided to talk to her. Maybe he could persuade her to come to his house so that he could talk to her.

So he got up and started to walk towards the darkroom.

----------------------

Rukia closed the door of the darkroom and leaned her forehead on the door. That was the second time she did that since she met Kurosaki Ichigo; The first time was when she saw him that first night after turning back to join the stupid lock-in that Shuuhei planned. Now he was everywhere and she couldn't bring herself to escape from him.

Rukia thought that she was being senseless again. thinking about the things that Ichigo said would probably make her more upset than ever. So why did she keep playing those words over and over again in her head? The answer was simple of course, she wanted to hear them and believe that they were real. Ichigo could make everything so real and so imaginary at the same time. Maybe it was because he was a writer or maybe it was because he was who he was. She wondered if he ever talked to Risa in that way, or any other girl he has been with.

Lately she realized that the attitude of her friends towards Ichigo was quite different from the usual one. For example Hisagi was not being over protective and trying to break Ichigo's neck and Renji was not trying to do something retarded (like threatening the shit out of the boy). She wondered why. She thought there was something really big behind it, like Kurosaki Ichigo was changing, so that her friends believed him somehow. They were less protective, and more supportive about this so called_ relationship._ She really hated to admit it but she also saw some sort of change in Ichigo's attitude. He seemed more attentive lately. She always felt like he was watching over her like a hawk but he wasn't there when she turned and looked. He took care of Chappy when he really didn't have to and he was always there for her. She sighed and tore her forehead away from the door.

She could easily turn back to him again. For the last few days, she realized that she loved that stupid, orange- haired, one-of-a-kind bastard. But there were lots of things that were bothering her. For example, the things that Hisagi and Renji said once and there were quite a few: his relationships with girls, especially Risa _and_ his reasons behind being kicked out of the academy. Though they were not telling, Shuuhei and Renji had some sort of fear against him. The reason behind why Ichigo broke up with the band was another issue. She was very open to him, told him everything about her life and her insecurities yet he still wouldn't her anything. Maybe it was because he didn't care about her as much as she cared about him. Maybe she was the only one that felt all these things during their _sessions_. Oh how she remembered those…

She felt like her body was made for him. She felt as if her heart would only answer him and she definitely knew the reason why she felt so…well she could come up and say those things right? She shook her head to clear the image of Ichigo, which was very distracting if we think that the thing she was doing right now needed her full attention. So she put her head phones on and tried to clear her mind with the music so that she could focus solely on the job at hand.

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Ichigo slowly opened the door and slipped in; the door was unlocked, thank gods. He saw Rukia; she was whipping the paper and pitting it on a drying rack with her back turned to him. She had headphones so she was listening music, which he could hear from where he was. He smiled and thought something naughty but stopped himself before he did something _unthinkable_.

He walked towards her, still not letting her to see him and hugged her from behind. Rukia immediately tried to jump out of his embrace and threw her headphones across the room.

"Holly Shit!!! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!?!?!" she yelled at him. Ichigo only buried his nose deeper into her hair. He could take advantage of their position.

"No I was just trying to have some alone time with you," he murmured in her neck, placing small kisses on it which gave her shivers.

"Ichigo what the hell are you doing?!?!" she asked, panic evident in her voice. She was trying to break out of his embrace but he was too strong for her.

"Shhh…Don't be panicked. I'm just trying to talk to you." He hugged a little more stronger.

"You are so not talking right now," she reasoned.

"Well I just hope the actions will speak the words that I can't." He sighed and turned Rukia around only to crush his lips to hers. She dared not to move, trying to understand what the hell he was talking about but in seconds she felt his tongue caressing hers sensually. She didn't even know how he managed to sneak in.

Ichigo felt like crying for the first time. Oh how he waited for that very moment. To have his Rukia back in his arms again. To be able to hold her and love her. Of course she didn't know that yet and she didn't have to. There was always the right time for everything but now was not the time to tell that. It was time to tell how he missed her and wanted her back. He was ready to commit, ready to not be afraid; he was ready to have her and give her whatever she wanted. He just encircled her waist and raised her a little above the ground to put her on the workbench.

Rukia knew where that was going. One minute he was kissing her passionately and now she was sitting on the workbench with him between her legs and he was still kissing her in the same passionate way. She didn't protest of course, since he was so talented in that department. She couldn't bring herself to admit that she wanted and needed it just because she was afraid to believe him again only to be broken and left by him the very next moment. She decided to enjoy the moment while she could. This was too good to be true. She wanted it desperately. And at that very moment she realized how deeply she was feeling for that stupid bastard. She felt her heart break more at the thought.

Ichigo's hands were restless. They wanted to touch her smooth skin, they wanted to caress her but he couldn't. Not when he didn't know what she was thinking. He needed to talk to her, especially in a place where they could be alone for more than a few minutes. He had to take her home. So he decided to slow down for their sake or he was going to take her on the workbench which would probably be an unpleasant memory for a first time.

He slowed the pace of his tongue, slowly caressing hers lovingly. He could do that for hours. Normally he didn't like kissing but with Rukia, it was addicting. He liked it, no he loved it and now he was becoming obsessive about it like he did with everything about her. He was just afraid that his libido might start to get obsessed with her too and that would be his end.

"Rukia…I have to talk to you," he managed to say while his brain was still not working completely. He rubbed his cheek to hers and inhaled her unique scent that he came to love so much.

Rukia knew something was wrong. He'd been acting weird, especially lately; not to mention few minutes ago. She wanted to scream and push him off. Yell at him for playing with her, not telling her what he wanted, but all she could do was to put her hand on his shoulder and push him a little so that she could breath and get her personal space back. She realized, again lately, that she couldn't think clearly when he was near.

Of course Ichigo took that "pushing" bad no matter how slow and effortless it was and he immediately shut himself down. Maybe it wasn't the right time to talk to her. Maybe she was still angry with him. What if he came and told things about himself and she refused him? What would he do if she was not _attracted _towards him like he was _attracted_ towards her? Her sweet voice interrupted his chain of thought.

"About what?" she asked, nearly whispering. Her hand was still on his shoulder and she didn't seem to want to let it go any time sooner. She squeezed it a little to turn Ichigo back to earth.

"N-Nothing…maybe we better call it a day and go home," he said, trying to untangle himself from her, but she wouldn't let go. She wrapped her legs around his waist and encircled his neck with her delicate arms.

"It is something and you should tell me…whatever it is. Actions may speak the words but they are limited to tell a story." She said, kissing him softly on the lips. And soon Ichigo was lost again. He didn't want to stop and now, part of his brain was screaming _not_ to stop. His hands found their way under her shirt and started to caress her back, down her spine. Thank god she was not opposing. Yes, she was not opposing. Wait there! Rewind back! That meant she wasn't trying to push you!!! Damn it maybe she wanted something different! STOP!!!!

Yes, that's why he hated his conscience. That part of him loved this girl too much to cling on her every stupid little action and tried to give meanings to them. Wouldn't it be awesome if he only had a libido to talk to?!?! No, it wouldn't because that would make him an animal and a girl like Kuchiki Rukia would never look at him twice.

"R-Rukia…" Again, he tore his mouth away from hers with difficulty and put his hands on her shoulder to look at her face. He was rather intoxicated and paralyzed by her presence being so near. Not to mention her legs were still around his waist.

"Hmm?" she murmured, her eyes hiding behind her bangs. She didn't want to raise her head and look him in the eye, afraid that she might see rejection there. He cupped her face and made her look at him.

"We are going to talk. You are right, there is so much you should know before…well there are things you should know and trust me when I say this." He then untangled himself for the second time and held her hand to let her off the bench.

"If you say so." He heard her whisper. He grabbed her hand and held it in his big one tightly, dragging her out of the dark room. When they were out, he grabbed his brown leather jacket and grabbed Rukia's coat. He saw Lantis from the corner of his eye and gave him a threatening look.

"You are going somewhere?" Ichigo heard the insolent bastard asking. He turned to him, still holding Rukia's hand tightly.

"Yes…do you have a problem with that?" He asked with a stone cold voice. During this conversation, Rukia was looking back and forth between Ichigo and Lantis who, it seemed, were throwing daggers at each other.

"You can't run off in the middle of the shooting," Lantis said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Its 9:30 pm, so its not _in the middle_ of anything. Besides she is tired and needs her sleep," Ichigo said with his eyes boring into Lantis'.

"Are you sure you are going to let her sleep?" He asked smirking and that was it. Ichigo was just about jump on him when he felt the girl next to him tugging on his hand.

"Lets go." She said and Ichigo turned to throw one last dirty look at Lantis, who was still smirking, just to dare him to stop them again.

And with all that said they were out of the studio on their way to Ichigo's house.

"Where is Kurosaki-kun is going?" asked the blue-eyed brunette.

"Well…he has some territorial business to take care, I believe. And how fortunate for him that today is Friday." Umi saw Mr. Jenkins smirking mischievously. Yes there was definitely something in between that photographer girl, and her Kurosaki-kun.

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"Did you really have to dare Lantis like that? You know he _is_ our employer!" Rukia yelled at Ichigo in frustration. She threw herself on his super comfy couch. Oh how she loved that couch. She realized that she never had much time to enjoy this infamous couch, but now she could have all the time in the world.

"I don't give a shit about who he is. If I want to go out, I'm going out," Ichigo said, throwing his jacket on the armchair. He let himself sink into it and sighed with relief. Today was a long day and he felt exhausted. Not because they made him work under super uncomfortable conditions but he was emotionally exhausted because of the tension between him and Rukia as well. Speaking of which she was lying down on his couch, her raven hair sprawled all over the white soft cushions on it. He loved the view and let his mind burn the image into his memory. He could use peaceful moments like this to remember their relationship later when she left him for who he is.

Suddenly a fear, which was all too familiar lately, filled his heart. He could just let her sleep here. Maybe she would forget until tomorrow and then…and then what? He had to tell her. Start from somewhere. He got up and went next to her. He gently shook her shoulders to wake her.

"Rukia, wake up. We should eat something," he said softly, brushing her hair from her face.

She murmured something and turned on her side. He caressed her face and put small kisses on her cheek. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on the couch, next to her. She hugged him to herself and murmured into his chest.

"Can't we just sleep? I'm dying in here." Ichigo looked at the half sleeping form of the girl he loved so much and couldn't help himself but to agree with her. He gently wrapped his arms around her and found himself in a comfortable position in her embrace. There was still tomorrow, they could talk tomorrow. Now was not the time for…

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**Rabbit's bla bla:** Well I agree with my beta, life is a bitch! And it kept me away from writing, damn it! But I hope its worthy . No worries the other chapter is on the way in which Ichigo will come clean and…and what? Well lets wait until next time. cookies for the reviewers, fresh and they smell sooooo goooood!

**beta-note--**hey cool kids, it's the beta-reader in the flesh! Sorry about making rabbit be late for the last couple of installments. Life is gay, let's leave it at that. This chapter was good, ne? Maybe that orange-haired idiot is FINALLY opening up. Leave a review for the author!


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **not mine!

**rabbit is talking: **Hi everyone! First I want to thank you all for your reviews, I love them but I wasn't able to answer since I was away and when I was back it was too late. Second I have to warn you that this chapter is not beta-read, I sent her the chapter on Saturday but she went missing, so I am posting it now so that you wont wait anymore(but I will replace this with the edited version as soon as she sends it back). So I hope you will enjoy because I'm not so sure about it and my beta wasn't there to cheer me up:( maybe I need a part-time beta for the times when she is too busy with real life, ant volunteers? So go ahead and read…some of you might not like it…but…anyway, don't forget to review! You know how they keep me going!

**i carry your heart with me**

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

ee cummings

_I carry your heart with me_

She cracked an eye open when she felt the sunshine beaming in her eyes. She groaned and tried to get up but two strong arms encircled her from behind and she was trapped in a tight embrace with a hand on her bare stomach. The said hand was traveling upwards and she guessed that the owner of the hand was still sleeping. She tried to move again so as to wake Ichigo up, but it seemed useless.

Ichigo sighed, filling his nostrils with that all too familiar and pleasant smell. He rubbed his nose in something that felt like silk and smelled heavenly. This was surely a dream. Yeah that's it; it was one of those torturously realistic dreams (a.k.a lucid dreaming). He was also feeling that oh-so-cute bottom of hers grinding into his lower parts. He smiled with happiness. This was definitely a dream.

Rukia stopped trying after she felt something pressing in her back. She didn't want to give him any impressions but little she knew that it was already late for that. She sighed and decided to wait, but her waiting was interrupted by one Kurosaki Ichigo grinding his _lower_ part against her bottom. First she felt angry, no enraged! But now all she could think was how to get closer so that…_so that what?!?!_ Her mind screamed. This Ichigo was doing something to her libido not even Kaien has managed to do. And before she could even process what was happening that large hand which was resting on her stomach turned her towards the owner of it and she felt two warm lips pressing to hers. She smiled mischievously.

Oh how he wanted to do it in real life! He wanted to get up with Rukia, make love to her for the first time in the morning and then do it again in the shower and then…He slowly turned his dream girl towards and pressed his lips to hers softly. He kissed her again and again sweetly every time a little bit more passionately. Soon he was snogging her senseless. He wanted to do it more; he wanted to touch her.

One minute he was kissing her and now he was on top of her. Rukia was sure he was still somewhere in between sleeping and waking. But he should better wake up or else…oh no! Now she felt _it_ more intimately and from what it seemed Ichigo was quite happy with the situation. Poor boy was probably thinking that he was having a wet dream or something. A dream? Was he dreaming her or was he dreaming another girl? Oh how she would love to murder that girl who…before she could finish her dark train of thought she heard him moaning softly. She desperately needed to breath and she didn't know how he managed to kiss so long. So she bit his tongue gently, not to hurt him, just to wake him. But he got the wrong impression.

Ichigo was having the best moment of his life. How he wanted to do all those things to the real version of her. Oh his Rukia would probably kick his ass for even thinking that but he couldn't stop now, not with his life on the line. He suddenly felt her biting his tongue gently and that got him excited more and he grabbed her leg to put himself where he longed to be for all this time.

This was not good. Ichigo was now closer and her leg was being held in his grip, close to his waist. She felt like she was on fire, but this didn't feel right. She didn't even know who he was dreaming, for gods sake! Even though they were more clothed than their previous _session_ Rukia felt more aroused, but she couldn't bring herself to continue it. So she bit down a little harder this time.

Holy Shit! A dream couldn't do that!!! Fuck! What the?!?! He opened his eyes blinking rapidly and breathing heavily down on someone. Down on someone? Wait…SHIT! He looked down and saw Rukia looking at him with eyes black rather than violet, oh shit! He couldn't do that to a sleeping girl. Then he felt that he was holding something. He looked and saw that he was holding Rukia's leg and he was nestled between…before he could think anything again he threw himself to the other side of the couch.

Rukia stayed in her place for a few seconds, shell-shocked. What the hell was she thinking? Then she saw Ichigo looking down at her with his eyes open. He had some sort of shock written on his face. She then saw fear crossing in them with the realization. She followed his gaze and saw him looking at her leg and then…he immediately entangled himself from her and threw himself on the other side of the couch with his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. She tentatively moved closer but a hand stopped her.

"Don't come any closer." he said with a thick and rough voice, sleep evident in it. She stopped and pulled her legs under her, waiting for him to say something. She saw him dragging his legs up and hugging them to himself, looking anywhere but at her.

"I'm sorry." He said whispering and looking down at his knees, hugging them a little more tightly.

"For what?" Rukia asked, confused. Then she saw him looking at her with some sort of hope in his eyes and…affection. She then moved closer and touched his arm; his hand immediately closed over her hers.

"I kinda forced myself on you…It was lucid dreaming I guess. I-I don't want you think that I'm…well sorry." he said drawing his hand and resting his cheek on his knee. At that moment Rukia realized what child-like manners he had. So he was afraid that she would think less of him or afraid that she wouldn't want his _attention._ Oh she wanted it and she wanted it bad! She had to smack herself in order to concentrate on what he was saying and what she should say to ease his discomfort.

"Don't be silly Ichigo. You didn't _force_ yourself on me! But you better be dreaming about me or else I will…" Before she could finish her sentence Ichigo was again on her, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Thank God the couch was soft or the impact of her hitting the couch would have given her week-long back pains.

"Of course it was you…who else could it be?" he asked, his lips touching hers with every sentence that was coming out. Rukia felt like she couldn't be happier and she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down, but he resisted.

"As lovely as it is, I prefer not to continue since I know where this might go." he murmured.

"Maybe I am asking for it." she said nibbling on his lower lip. He tried to stop her by putting his finger on her lips but that didn't work and Ichigo tried his best not to do anything _inappropriate_ when she started to suck on that said digit. He only groaned and buried his face in her neck.

"Be careful Rukia, you wouldn't want me to lose it." he warned her.

"Maybe I want you to." she said kissing his palm and rubbing her cheek to it.

"You are in dangerous water; you don't know me…yet." And with that said he tore himself away from his biggest desire, which was an act of pure control, and went straight to his kitchen.

"For starters we should eat something and then we are going to talk." he said looking at Rukia. But she was not paying attention to him. Instead she was playing with a long tendril of her silky raven hair and looking at his fireplace. He looked at her and realized why he loved and obsessed over her so much. She was _pure_. Everything he felt he had never been. Normally he shouldn't touch such a lovely and unique creature like her but he was deviant and every fiber in his body wanted to have her, mold her, spoil her. He wanted her to be his piece and he wanted to be her piece. And he would tear heaven and hell if he couldn't have what he wanted.

"Rukia." He called her name with a tone that she had never heard before. This scared her a little; his moods changed so fast that she felt lost sometimes. This tone was… possessive, rather than affectionate. When she looked up at him, she also saw the look that confirmed her guess. His amber eyes were looking down at her like he was daring her to move or something.

"Yeah?" she answered weakly. God but he could melt her into nothing with just looking. No man has ever held that sort of power above her. She was always the independent party which ruled the relationship, but now this was totally different.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, a little more softly. Yup his moods changed in seconds.

"N-Nothing." she said. There was that blush again, which Ichigo loved so much. She was definitely thinking about something. But he wondered what it was. Was it him? Was it what he did? Did she really like it? Did she not see it as some sort of violation? There were so many things he wanted to ask but there was time for everything. And now they should eat something.

"We should eat something. Its 5 pm and I'm kinda starving." he said, grabbing a phonebook.

"5 pm?!?! Oh my god how long did we sleep?!?! Oh my Lantis is going to kill us!" She was looking for her cell phone frantically around the room. Ichigo had to kick himself to keep from laughing at her.

"Relax woman. If he wanted us, he would call. Besides today is Saturday." he said smirking smugly.

"Really? But don't you know that he can…" before she could finish her sentence he threw the phone book at her which she caught in the air before it hit her square in the face.

"Choose something or else I will eat you." He said opening his cupboards to get out glasses and plates.

"I can cook!" she offered excitedly.

"Yeah sure but I'm still too young to die." He said smirking which gained him a rather hard kick in the shin.

"Holy shit! How can you kick like that!?!?!?!" Ichigo asked with pain evident in his voice.

"Did you realize that lately you started to swear?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah probably because I started to feel more comfortable around you. And _you_ started to kick. Like hell, I have to add." She then threw a pizza advertisement in his face and walked out of the kitchen crossing her arms over her chest, she stood behind the kitchen stool.

"And you are standing there because?" he asked, grabbing the phone. He was slightly irritated at the fact that she was putting a distance between them.

"This is so I won't kick you incase you make another _smart_ comment." she answered raising her nose. She was really cute when she was pissed. He wondered if there was a way to piss her off in bed. That could be awesome. He shook his head to clear the image because now he was dialing the number of the restaurant unconsciously.

--------------------------

"I guess they do this shit better than anyone," Ichigo said, chewing on his slice of pizza and investing the rest of the slice with intensity.

"Geez, do you really have to remind me of that while I'm eating?" Rukia asked. It was evident in her voice that she was annoyed.

"Remind you of what what?" Ichigo asked, completely oblivious, licking his fingers. Rukia watched him do that and she lost her appetite completely, but not because of the reason you might think. On the contrary her stomach was contracting because of adrenalin overdose. She shook her head, she was definitely insane. He drew her to madness this morning, sorry evening and then told her that he needed to talk to her about something. What the hell did he want? Couldn't they pass that step and just have…_Ok Rukia, girl hold on there! Do you really want to? _her traitorous mind asked. Why was she feeling so shy and afraid suddenly? _Probably because you are a virgin?_ her mind offered. _Virgin doesn't mean naive!_ She reminded to her mind, it was silly really. So she rolled her eyes at the comment and pushed it aside..

No there was something different. Something that was keeping her away from him even if her brain was a lust puddle under his touch. . Maybe it was because she felt him a little distant (because he wasn't telling her anything about himself). Maybe it was because of his sudden moods or something…it seemed like there was something dangerous about him, which excited her most. He was mysterious but also there was something that she couldn't put her finger on. Maybe her friends' comments caused that or maybe she was feeling it every time he looked at her with _that_ look. She didn't know what, but she was sure that she wanted to learn.

"Ichigo?" she tentatively called his name. Ichigo turned and looked at her with a childish face, still concentrated on the pizza.

"Yeah?" he asked, grabbing a napkin and using for the good of human kind a.k.a on his hands.

"You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Impatient are we?" he asked with a mischievous smile gracing his soft lips. Rukia really hated that. He looked like a wolf which was wearing a sheep coat. Really, he looked like he was after something deviant, like jumping on her the next second. She threw the pillow on the couch at him which he grabbed in the mid air.

"Its just because I'm curious…I told you everything and you're acting all mysterious by telling me that I don't know you yet. Seriously, I will start to think that there is something terribly wrong with you!" Her voice rose constantly throughout the sentence. She was up and her hands were on her hips. Then she saw his face turning all serious and stuff. That kinda scared her.

"Sit Rukia." That tone again. That demanding, commanding, dangerous, mysterious yet sexy tone. Of course disobeying was not an option for Rukia's already submissive mind, so she sat.

"Are there any particular question that you wanna ask? Like something you are curious about?" Ichigo asked, looking sideways at Rukia. He was resting his elbows on his knees and looking ahead, to the fireplace.

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

"For example if I wanted to ask you something I would ask why you chose photography instead of writing…So you might wanna ask something like that, or even a question that is eating you alive." He offered, pushing himself into the couch, his hand on his legs, but he was still looking ahead which disturbed Rukia. She felt like he was not actually talking to her but someone different.

"I chose it because…"

"I didn't ask you why, I was merely giving and example." He stated before she could finish her sentence. The way he talked to her kinda offended her.

"And I would appreciate if you looked at my face while you are talking to me." She said with a warning in her tone, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's not an option…." Before he could finish she was on her feet, grabbing her jacket at the same time he grabbed her wrist, rather forcefully. She dropped the jacket before Ichigo yanked her down on the couch next to him.

"You better let me finish my sentences, and listen to me carefully because I'm not going tell anything twice." Now Rukia was really scared. But before she could manage to say something he continued, "I cannot look at you because I might stop talking all together afraid that such a creature like yourself might start to think that she doesn't deserve someone like myself…So I have to start and finish as soon as possible…and after that…if you want to stay, you are more welcomed to do so." With that said, he turned his attention back to the fireplace, as if it was the most interesting piece in the whole living room.

"O-Ok…"

"And don't give me that look. It's like I stole your candy or something," he said, this time he was looking at her with a sweet smile on his face. She felt confused and that frustrated her which got her into one of her defensive moods, of course unconsciously. She was fed up with Ichigo's antiques and now he added a new one to them. She turned towards him, sitting Indian style on the couch (next to him). She started to stare at him.

"What?"

"Start with your mom's death. I guess for an intense person like yourself things should start with a devastating event like that if what you are going to tell me is scary." She said with a rather serious tone.

"Don't go and analyze me, you might fail miserably." He said sighing, maybe they shouldn't talk. She could learn it later; much, much later.

"Geez Ichigo, you were a teenager, you could do anything! If you ask me, the reason why you got kicked out of the Academy is related to that." She pointed, which made Ichigo turn towards her and look at her with surprise evident in his eyes. She was good, but not good enough.

"Yeah partly…Ok…After my mom died I kinda got into depression." He saw her listening to him intently. "And what came after that ruined 2 years of my life. Not to mention that it took away my childhood." He sighed and gathered his knees on the couch.

"This far I could guess, I got myself a tattoo just to rebel against Nii-sama, though he still doesn't know." She grinned evilly.

"It's not something like that…I got kicked out of the Academy because I got into a fight with Aizen Sousuke's son. Actually, I didn't get into a fight but he was…my opponent. And I beat …" words were stuck in his throat. He turned and looked at her face, searching some sort of disappointment. She was still looking at him with a neutral face.

"What opponent?" she asked, putting one tendril behind her ear while Ichigo watched the action intently.

"We were in the same underground club…It was sort of a fight club but not as good or cool as it. Man, cages and fight…I kinda started with drums you know. It felt good to hit something to take out your frustration, but then it was not enough because it wasn't responding back so there was nothing to remind you that there was actual pain. Then I decided to become the _stud_ of my high school, which I will regret for the rest of my life, that's how I met Risa by the way. But it was not enough and started to loose its meaning after having to much meaningless…Anyway, So one day I met a guy called Ikkaku. He was a tough guy with super fighting skills and he saw me one day on the street when I was beating the shit out of a boy who stole a girl's bicycle. He invited me to the fights, and soon enough I was fighting. It felt good at the beginning, but its kinda addicting, the pain and the adrenalin is too much, not to mention it makes you feel…manly lets say." He stopped and looked at Rukia, like checking if she was still there.

"What? Do you expect me to run screaming 'help'?" she asked, arching an elegant black eyebrow.

"No, but so far I didn't tell anything good about myself."

"On the contrary, you said you beat the crap out of a guy who stole a girl's bicycle, that's the kind of hero that girls want." She grinned.

"You have to be kidding…"

"Seriously Ichigo…I get it, you had an anger management problem so what?"

"It wasn't an anger management problem! I fought these people just to hurt them, for fuck's sake! I have been with those girls just to break their damn heart!! How can you say its nothing?!?!" he was on his feet, his arms were flying everywhere. Now Rukia thought that he lost it, but it was not because of his usual problem. It was because of too much self-loathe and anger. She was observing him for far too long, and she listened to him not as Rukia, but as a professional would listen to the problems of someone. She was not a psychologist but she read lots of books because she wanted to make perfect personifications in her stories, just like her father did.

"I think you punished yourself enough…the thing you miss in here is the fact that you actually said it wasn't _reminding you of the actual pain_. Its a normal reaction, as soon as you started to forget the pain of your mother's death, you hated yourself for forgetting it. It felt like you were forgetting her, so you tried to keep it because you were afraid of loosing her, forgetting her forever. You see, its not one sided, you hurt them because you wanted them to hurt you back… When you talk, try to speak your mind with a little less self-conscious, it comes out as the words in your story."

"I think you read too much Freud, you might go as far as to tell me that I was in love with my mom." He sat down and buried his face in his hands.

"So that's what you wanted me to know? Your oh-so-dark side?" she asked with a playful tone but soon she was pinned to her place with an ice-cold stare.

"I do have an oh-so-dark side, as you so _elegantly_ put. That's why your precious Shuuhei was concerned about you and me at the beginning. Or your oh-so-idiotic Renji was so possessive about you…they kinda knew me back then. I wasn't the most pleasant type, and I still am not." He sighed. He took her hand in his and looked at it intently, while caressing it with his thumb.

"I know you do…I know it since the day we met…It was in the way you looked at Kaien."

"Yeah that was back then, you don't want to see me looking at him again, because looking will definitely not be the only thing that I do if he does the same thing now." Now it was that voice again. She understood now; if the current thought was about loosing someone or something it was that tone and that specific scowl. He had that plastered on his face for the last few days.

"Oh my, aren't we possessive?" she giggled.

"Very much indeed and I have no idea why its like that. I grew up with two sisters and I kinda shared everything with them…I actually don't know."

"Did you share your favorite pen or your favorite book? Did you let them take care of the puppy and give the spot light to them?"

"We never had a puppy…and I got your point, but its not a dangerous type of thing you are talking about."

"No it's the same thing; it's only you that makes it dangerous. Some things come with trust Ichigo and trust is something that we can't build so easily. I can speak for myself anyway, but there is nothing …"

"Are you telling me that I'm not aggressive, possessive, a little bit obsessive compulsive and 60 percent psychopath?" She laughed hard at that. He was looking at her with questioning eyes; he was really asking such a question. She laughed a little more.

"Look you are temperamental, not aggressive; you are obsessive yes but not in disorder level, you definitely are not psychopath but you are macho, almost Neanderthal I might add. You are impulsive and judgmental sometimes but don't paint yourself to be worse than you are Ichigo. We all had some difficult times in our lives and everyone has a different way to cope with it. Mine was different, yours was different. So tell me how did you stop if it was so _addicting_?" with that said she saw him relaxing, it was visible even if he probably thought that it wasn't.

"Well one day old man found me heavily drunk, beaten and with two girls in Ikkaku's house. Apparently I forgot to tell him that I was going to 'sleep over' at a friend's house. So he got panicked and searched for me; that was the last time I saw Ikkaku. They packed me and sent me to a clinic which couldn't even do as much observation as yourself…"

"I'm sure that you gave them a pretty hard time." she finished his sentence, "I did the observation because you act and talk more freely when you are with me. I don't think you ever told these guys anything, am I right?"

"That's what I'm asking to myself. How can you be so damn right?" he arched his eyebrow, which was probably tired of being held in the same position for years, a.k.a scowling.

"Nii-sama sent me to a psychologist when I was a kid because I refused to talk for two months after he sold my belongings." she said with a sad smile on her face. She reached and combed his soft orange hair with her small fingers.

"So does that mean you are taking me?" he asked, forcing himself not to purr.

"Even if you have a deviant mind?" she answered with her own question while moving closer to him inch by inch.

"Yeah…" Ichigo barely forced the word out of his mouth, because his throat was tightening, he swallowed hard.

"Hmmm, let me think…On one condition." She breathed, her lips inches away from Ichigo's. Poor boy's mind and conscious were nowhere to be found.

"Just name it…" He whispered, his lips brushing hers.

"Just possess me…and don't hold back."

----------------

**rabbit is back: **Grrr…I think I have a Risa side in me…to be honest lately I lost my will to write, the manga is going nowhere. I missed most of the characters, I haven't seen Rukia since February or march and the anime is so IchiXHime centric that I'm going to hang myself soon. By the way I started a new one-shot (which is a little more longer than a traditional one-shot stories) I hope I can finish it by the weekend or maybe even sooner, just to keep us (IchiXRuki shippers) in line. so take care and review!


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** not mine!

**rabbit talks:** Here is your long waited chapter 21! It took me long because I have to go back and read my story form the start to get into mood. I also didn't touch any of my other stories just to complete this. Guys I have to thank you for your support, but you might stop reading my stories after this. But it was coming and we all knew it. This is my first attempt at writing lemons(So in a sense I'm a virgin), go easy on me. And I have to say that now I respect those who can write it. I don't want to give _too_ _explicit graphic_ descriptions. I wanted it to be hot and sensual at the same time, cause that was Rukia's first time! So I'm **warning**if you don't like anything related with sex, don't read it! For the ones who read: REVIEW and tell me what you think…oh and this is un-edited, my beloved beta is busy with her school!

**In My Sky At Twilight**

In my sky at twilight you are like a cloud

and your form and colour are the way I love them.

You are mine, mine, woman with sweet lips

and in your life my infinite dreams live.

The lamp of my soul dyes your feet,

the sour wine is sweeter on your lips,

oh reaper of my evening song,

how solitary dreams believe you to be mine!

You are mine, mine, I go shouting it to the afternoon's

wind, and the wind hauls on my widowed voice.

Huntress of the depth of my eyes, your plunder

stills your nocturnal regard as though it were water.

You are taken in the net of my music, my love,

and my nets of music are wide as the sky.

My soul is born on the shore of your eyes of mourning.

In your eyes of mourning the land of dreams begin.

Pablo Neruda

_The Twilight_

Upon hearing her telling him to _possess _her, he felt his heart tightening in his chest. He surely was going to possess her but he also had something different in his mind. He slowly reached and closed the gap between their lips, softly kissing her. He just touched his lips to hers, applying some pressure, nothing more, nothing like his usual demanding self. Then he slowly raised his hand and held her cheek, caressing with his thumb, still pressing soft small kisses on her divine lips. Ichigo loved the sensation, loved the shyness and the sensuality of it.He felt like his insides tremble, it felt like being virgin again.

The impact that Rukia was waiting never came. She was expecting him to attack her hungrily but he was all soft and tender. She couldn't understand but she wasn't questioning him. All this time Rukia learned that Kurosaki Ichigo had his own way to do things, so who was she to judge him. She felt his hand leaving her cheek, trailing down to grab her legs gently and pulling her towards him.

"Wrap your legs around me." He whispered into the kiss which changed a little from the gentle pecking to nibbling. She almost groaned when she pressed herself against him. He raised them from the couch and held her legs around his waist, pressing one of his hands on the small of her back to pull her even closer. She could feel him better now, she pressed her ever burning body to his and wrapped her arms around his neck, teasing his lips with her tongue. She felt him smirk so she bit his lower lip.

"All I wanted to do was to take you to our bedroom but if you insist I can take you on the hard floor, though it might cause some back troubles." He said smugly, Rukia would slap him if only she didn't want him to continue with what he was doing. His tongue was stroking hers lovingly and slowly, creating the divine sensation, and everlasting fire in her lower regions.

He turned the lights off before climbing the stairs. Rukia shivered with the thought of what was going to happen next.

"Are you sacred?" she heard him asking. She shook her head, feeling that any word would fail her right now.

"The why did you shiver?" he asked, demanding an answer.

"I just wasn't expecting you to be…gentle." She said, Ichigo could see his beloved blushing. He smiled gently at her.

"Well sorry to disappoint you but I'm quite new in this department, so if you let me I would like to taste and feel as much as possible." He whispered in her neck, sliding his talented tongue over her pulse. She groaned, arching her neck so that he could reach any point he wanted.

"B-But I thought you said…" she yelped, he bit down on her pulse a little harder than she thought, this was going to leave a mark, she was sure of it. He wasn't doing anything she thought he would, so she let her mind stop wondering, and let herself to feel it.

"Oh the fair maiden of mine…" he started whispering in her ear, nibbling at her lobe.

"You shouldn't confuse virginity with naivety." She defended hotly, as logically as possible when she having the most illogical moment of her life.

"I am not, but I will call you one since you are oblivious to a man's desire to make a distinguish between the way he loves his woman and the way he simply enjoys life…To put simply I'm quite new in the department of making love which I believe there is a huge difference with the action of sex, if what I'm feeling right now is any indication of it." He said calmly climbing the stairs. _His woman_…she thought. She felt like her heart was beating faster against her chest, she was sure he could feel it too. There was no judgment in his tone, or any accusation, it sounded like basic facts. Simple, normal…

"I never knew you talked so much." She stated, combing his soft locks with her fingers lovingly.

"Hmmm…maybe I'm trying to take your mind off of something." He said gently putting her down. She didn't know when they arrived in his bedroom, which he so affectionately referred as _their_ bedroom.

She didn't know if he said that consciously but hearing it from him in that way calmed her down. She gently put her hands on his chest, her palms flat open on his heart. She felt his heart beating as furiously as hers. Her breath was caught in her throat. To know that she was the cause of it was an exhilarating, heady feeling.

"You are not doing a good job…" she whispered, rubbing her cheek to his shoulder.

Ichigo looked at the woman in front of him. Her features were illuminated by the moonlight that was coming from his glass bedroom ceiling. It was full moon today and the sky was clear so that he could see every start that was shining above them. He looked up at the sky and thanked the gods that were helping him. He needed his control and strength or he might end up giving them a crazy night because of pent up passion and the fire that was burning in him since the first time he laid his eyes on her.

He looked down and saw Rukia looking up at him; he could see passion, affection and even lust in those indigo depths. She was right he shouldn't confuse virginity with naivety, from what he experienced during their early_encounters_, she was pretty good, so good that he didn't even want to ask how she learned, thinking that she was natural was a better option in his case.

Rukia was looking up at him. It was stupid really, normally they were jumping on each other under every circumstance; so why was he hesitating now? It wasn't that he didn't want her, she could see it in his eyes clearly. Those amber orbs of him held much more than he could imagine and actually they were the only things that were giving out his current emotions. Other than that he was good at acting calm.

"Ichigo…" She whispered to bring him back to earth. He blinked and looked at her more intently. He was breathing fast, faster than her, she realized and his heart which was under her palm was beating with an inhuman speed. Before she could comprehend what was happening his mouth was crushed on hers and he was kissing her hotly, invading her mouth with his demanding tongue. Her Ichigo was back…

He circled her waist with his strong arm, crushing her to his chest and gripped her hair a little hard to angle her head so that he could reach every delicious, hot point in her sweet mouth. He groaned, his senses were on overdrive and he felt like his head was swimming in the clouds. This was all too heady and became even more when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself to him. Her tongue was as enthusiastic as his was, about exploring, so they were battling against each other, stroking one moment, tangling the other.

Rukia felt her toes curling on the hard floor of his bedroom. The side of his soft bed was pressing the back of her already weak knees, she felt like she was going to fall the moment he let her go. She didn't want him to let her go, this feeling was all to perfect and she regretted even thinking about it when he tore his demanding, dominating mouth from hers and started to press open moth kisses down her throat.

She could only moan when his hand gripped her ass and pressed her to his ever persistent erection. She gasped and felt her knees shaking. This was too much…She called his name with a throaty moan, gripping his shoulders tightly, digging her nails in his soft flesh.

Ichigo thought that he should get his control back soon as possible. This was going somewhere very fast and he didn't want it fast, so he tore his mouth from hers, kissing her neck enthusiastically. He suddenly grabbed the hem of her shirt and took it off with one swift motion and his mouth was back on hers. She encircled his neck, gripping the hair on the base tightly. Slowly but surely she was driving him insane. His hands started to roam over her half naked body. His large hands slowly trailed up from her sides to her breasts which he cupped and squeezed gently. Even if they were covered with that silk-lace black bra, he could feel her hardening nipples. His thumbs crossed over them and that gained him a moan and his name. She pressed herself further in his hands and he reluctantly continued his exploration.

He touched her shoulders, and traced her collarbone with his fingers, his mouth following his fingers, nibbling them. His hands reached her neck, the neck he loved to touch, the soft delicate skin which burned under his touch. His mouth continued to travel up, his tongue sensually tracing her jaw line.

Then he turned her back to him, and hugged her from behind, his strong arms circling her narrow shoulders. He buried his nose in her hair and took a deep breath, filling his mind with the intoxicating, unique scent of hers. Then he gently pulled her hair and started to kiss her neck. Rukia felt like she was going to pass out from the mere experience. She didn't want to imagine how this tongue could put in better use.

She felt him unclasping her bra so she let it fall on the floor. His devilish hands were there to take the place of the offending fabric.

"Maid of Athens, ere we part, give, oh give me back my heart!" she heard him whisper huskily in her ear, caressing the side of her breast with his the back of his hands. They slide under the soft mounds and cupped them again. Her insides crumbled, she could come right now by just hearing him quote Lord Byron, while caressing her.

"Lord Byron…" she whispered moaning at the same time. She realized that her moaning was something that excited Ichigo. he grind his erection in her soft bum, rubbing himself to her.

"There be none of Beauty's daughters…With a magic like thee…And like music on the waters  
Is thy sweet voice to me." He continued, now his hot mouth was traveling down her shoulders pressing hot kisses on her shoulder blades, his hands still occupied with her breasts.

"Oh my god Ichigo how can you do that?" she shuddered.

"If you know what I'm doing then your mind is still working…I think I should take care of that." And with that said he turned her to him, his mouth closing over where his hands were. Rukia gasped and gripped his hair tightly pressing his face into her chest. While his tongue working wonders on her breast his hands were unbuttoning her jeans. He was right, she couldn't think clearly. He said something against her skin but all she could do was to moan and tell him not to stop…never.

He gently laid her down on his king size, soft bed, taking her jeans off. She let herself fall on the bed gracefully, her midnight black hair, sprawled on his big, cream colored, soft pillows. She only had that matching knickers left on her. He had to admit that she had a fabulous taste in lingerie but he didn't understand why they were so sexy. It wasn't that she was using them. Female psyche was something still unfamiliar to him. His eyes traveled over her ivory skin, his hungry gaze causing Rukia to swallow hard.

"She looks a sea Cybele, fresh from ocean, Rising with her tiara of proud towers. At airy distance, with majestic motion, A ruler of the waters and their powers." He quoted Byron again, slowly massaging her right calf. Rukia couldn't take it anymore, she closed her eyes and grabbed the sheet beneath her sweating body. She moaned loudly when his tongue started to travel from her calf to her inner tight. Then he hooked his fingers to the waistband of her knickers but she grabbed his hands and stopped him.

He raised an elegant eyebrow, questioning her. She shook her head, saying no, and trying to get her voice back.

"Fair play Kurosaki." She said raising on her knees and straddling his kneeling form on the bed. First Ichigo was dumbfounded but his hands immediately grabbed her ass as soon as she slammed herself on his erection. It was her time to explore. She rubbed herself up and down on his cloth-covered shaft experimentally and felt him gripping her even more tightly, burying his face in her neck.

"When I'm done with you, you are not even going to remember your own name let alone my surname." He growled in her ear, licking the said part, and sucking on her lobe. She felt shiver run down her spine and she involuntarily arched in to him. She realized that moment that she wanted him more than anything in this world, even more than the life itself.

She grabbed his shirt, yanking it off and throwing on the floor. Her hands were roaming over his hard chest, memorizing the contours and texture beneath her small fingers. Ichigo was breathing down hard on her neck, his hands still gripping her ass and pressing her to himself as close as possible. Then her hands got lower, she traced his pelvic bone with a finger and bit down on his pulse. His hips jerked involuntarily and the friction between their cores increased. She started to sooth the bruised flesh with her tongue, undoing the button of his jeans. Her hand slid in and caressed his shaft from the fabric of his boxers.

Ichigo groaned loudly and threw her on the bed, taking his trousers with urgency. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to be in her or else he was going to go mad. He also took his boxers off, they became painfully tight. When he turned back to look at Rukia, he felt himself being bewitched all over again.

"And the midnight moon is weaving Her bright chain o'er the deep; Whose breast is gently heaving, As an infant's asleep…" he started again. If he couldn't find the right words then he could always quote them. He reached down and crushed his lips to hers in a soul searing kiss, when he tore his mouth, he was panting, but he managed to whisper, " So the spirit bows before thee, To listen and adore thee; With a full but soft emotion, Like the swell of Summer's ocean."

He brought his lips to hers again. As she lost herself in his kiss, he removed the last of her garments, that offending but all too sexy knickers. He broke away from the kiss to gaze at her now completely naked body. He saw fear of rejection wash over her. She had nothing to fear. He wanted to kiss and feel every inch of her. All of her belonged to him now. He felt himself growl with the ever possessive instinct that he had for her, but only her.

"I'm not going to act the noble and ask if you are sure…" he started to talk. Rukia's eyes snapped open. She felt his hand trailing down her body slowly, reaching the most burning and needed to be touched part of her body, "there is no turning back Rukia, no way out. I gave you enough time to back out. But now you are mine, you belong to me and only me." It was that voice again, which thrilled and scared Rukia the most. He said she belonged to him now. At some point in the past, such a declaration would have made her bristle, but coming from him, she didn't mind. She wanted him to own her.

His hand reached its destination and his fingers brushed over the aching bundle of nerves. She screamed his name and arched into his body. Her core coming in contact with the hard yet silky rod. The feeling was amazing. She looked down and what she saw scared her most. She looked at Ichigo with panic in her eyes.

"It won't fit…there is now way." She started but soon a hot tongue invading her mouth silenced her.

"Fit it will." He said hotly and crushed his lips back on hers, his finger entering her at the same time, rubbing that traitorous point. She groaned in his mouth, feeling the fire that was building in her. His fingers were now mimicking the actions of his tongue which was stroking hers expertly. She felt her walls clamping on his fingers, squeezing them. He groaned and tore his mouth from her to hear his name on her lips. She came hard, as Ichigo expected, screaming his name to the heavens. He just wanted to prepare her for the main course, give her a taste but he got carried.

He felt her hands gripping his shoulders tightly, so she was still there. He draw his hand back, buried his face in the crook of her neck; bracing himself on his elbow, he gripped her ass with the other and pushed himself in with one swift movement not letting her come down from the height.

Rukia felt a sharp pain in her lower region but her mind was too clouded by the euphoria to hold on to that pain so she pushed it aside, wrapping her legs around his waist. She felt him saying her name, whispering it like a mantra. He was panting down on her neck hardly and she could guess why. He was holding himself so that she could get used to him. It wasn't a big problem really, she felt complete and sated the moment he entered her.

On the other side Ichigo was having difficulty with controlling himself. Her velvety walls were covering him so tightly that he had to bite down on something in order to stop himself thrusting into her with all his might, so he bit down on her shoulder, hard. She arched which pushed him deeper and his hips jerked involuntarily.

"Ichigo…please…move." He heard her plea under him. He couldn't take it anymore too, so he started slowly, trying not to cause to much trouble to her. But soon his reasoning was out of the window with her arm circling around his neck, her nails clawing his back.

His left hand was gripping her ass tightly, angling their movements and his right hand was gripping the side of his bed, so that he could push himself deeper. They were skin to skin, as close as humanly possible, Ichigo rocking her hard, back and forth on the bed.

He suddenly rose, grabbing the pillow under her head and put it under their joint pelvises. Ichigo drew back, nearly getting out completely and pushed himself in…hard. Rukia's eyes opened with the new sensation. He was deeper in her, as if possible and looking down at her with fire in his eyes.

"Keep your eyes open," he leaned down on her, grabbing her ass with both hands and pulling her towards him, but there was no place left untouched, she even doubted that there was place for air, "watch who is doing this to you." He said huskily looking down directly in her eyes, boring into her soul, "see who is causing this sensations," his lips were touching hers with every word, he started rock in and out of her again, creating that mind numbingly delicious, hot friction, "Feel me Rukia." He said closing the gap between their hot mouths and burning bodies. His tongue mimicking the movements of his manhood which was buried deep, deep down somewhere in her, she was suspicious that it was close to her heart.

Her arms circled his shoulder digging her nails, he was sure that it was going to leave a mark. He started to rock even harder, tearing his mouth from hers, he buried his head in the crook of her neck, pushing himself as deep as possible with every thrust. He wanted to be in her, forever. He wanted to embed himself so deep in her that she wouldn't be able to take him out for the rest of her life. Now he understood Renji and why he freaked out. He was scared too, if he would lose her, he would probably die in a corner. But it was not the time to think such dark things, she was his now. Forever his and only his.

Rukia couldn't keep it in herself any longer. She felt tears of joy coming to her, she felt fire in her, she saw the cool moon light washing over their sweat covered, hot skin. The stars, the night sky…everything was falling into that big hungry hole in her. She wanted the night to consume her, she wanted him to consume her till nothing was left of her and him. Till they were not Ichigo and Rukia but one. She heard him chanting something like 'mine' over and over again in her shoulder. She suddenly felt that earth shaking, ground breaking feeling coming towards her…again. But this time it was more powerful. Her vision started to get darker, she was afraid to pass out and not hear Ichigo screaming her name. But little she knew that he was exactly in the same condition with her.

The moment her walls clamped down his shaft and she screamed his name he came hard, very hard. His eyes rolled in his head and he saw stars behind them. His hips thrust forward a few more times to empty himself completely and he fell on her, shaking. His face buried in her shoulder. They were breathing hard, trying to calm themselves.

"Ichigo you are shaking a little too much, is it normal?" she asked with genuine concern in her voice, her arms holding his body which was still having the after effects of his big come down. He hugged her tighter as if possible.

"I came a little hard…"he started breathing hard and fast, "I g-guess its normal…" murmured in her shoulder, "never experienced before." His energy was drained completely, his shaking was now turning into trembling.

She caressed his orange locks wet with sweat, combing them with her small elegant fingers. Ichigo purred.

"I'm not going to get out." He said and shifted himself a little on his left, to ease some of his weight on her, using his last strength. She didn't understand what he meant first but when she did, she blushed.

"We should do something with that blushing…" he said smiling and pushing an offending raven lock from her face. It was blocking his beautiful view.

"I was a decent girl till you came around." She said, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. She turned and kissed him sweetly on the lips, but he didn't let her go, deepening the kiss. His hand found its way into her hair, angling her neck. She felt him hardening in her.

"Ichigo?" she broke the kiss and looked at him.

"Ignore it." He said resuming their kiss.

"If you want we…" She started but stopped by his finger on her lips.

" Of course I want…I am a man, I always want…but now is not the right time. Don't get me wrong, if we start I won't stop whole week; but since this was your first time, I don't want you to hate me in the morning." He said smugly.

"Oh, you are too cocky for your own good Kurosaki." She said rolling her eyes.

"You were screaming_Ichigo_ few minutes ago." He pointed nibbling her ear lobe. She moaned involuntarily.

"You took advantage of my love for Byron!" she claimed hotly. Ichigo reached and bit down on her lower lip hard, then started to sooth it with his tongue.

"I die—but first I have possessed, And come what may, I have been blessed." He said pushing his tongue in her mouth, kissing her hotly one last time before he let her sleep. She didn't want to let him go, but he slowed down and stopped kissing her completely.

"When age chills the blood, when our pleasures are past ---For years fleet away with the wings of the dove ---The dearest remembrance will still be the last, Our sweetest memorial the first kiss of love." She whispered, turning herself on her side so that she could bury her face in his chest. He smiled and gently held her leg to drape it over his waist, still keeping himself in. He also pulled the covers on them, tightly tucking her between his chest and the covers.

"See you in the morning nymph." He said, kissing her forehead and hugging her tightly to him. They were fast asleep soon.

---------------------------------------

**rabbit is back:** my obsession with Neruda and Lord Byron is obvious. A Chapter that starts with Neruda and has Byron as sex talk. Well, I hope it was anything close to your expectations. Don't forget to review and tell what you think.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: **Not mine!

**rabbit talks:** guys and girls, here is your morning after (though I'm not sure if it's a good one). Read and enjoy, of course without forgetting the much appreciated reviews! Sorry it took me sometime, but I hope you will like it. And special thanks to my beloved beta for bearing with me!

And I in these lines say:

Like this I want you, love,

love, Like this I love you,

as you dress

and how your hair lifts up

and how your mouth smiles,

light as the water

of the spring upon the pure stones,

Like this I love you, beloved.

Pablo Neruda

_Like This…_

Ichigo slowly snuggled into the warm body that rested under his. It felt soft and his, like it was a part of him. He slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the morning light that was coming from his annoying glass ceiling. He looked down and saw Rukia, lying face down, snuggling into his pillow. Most of his body was covering her small one and his hand was intervened with hers under the pillow that she was hugging. His leg was draped on her and his other arm was wrapped around her waist.

He didn't know how they ended up in this position because when he finally fell asleep he was still partially on her and in her. Now it seemed that they struggled against the bed so that his soft sheets were wrapped around his torso while it was covering her only below the waist. He found his position immensely comfortable. Her flawless back was resting against his chest and her soft ass was touching his morning erection. He snuggled deeper into her body, letting his arousal brush her, which gave him perverted pleasure; enough to make his eyes roll to the back of his head. This was all too good…

He slowly unwrapped his arm from her waist. His impatient hand started to touch her smooth skin with tenderness that he didn't know he possessed. He started with her cheek. His knuckles brushed the velvet texture and he couldn't help but lean for a kiss, letting his lips linger and savor the softness. He felt the tightening of his heart and the excess emotions that were turning it upside down in his chest. He hugged her from behind and rubbed his cheek to hers, not being able to resist the sudden urge to act affectionate. He thought he deserved it for being patient and waiting too long, denying himself from this bliss. It wasn't just sex that made him feel giddy and content at the same time, but it was this feeling he came to know so well for the past few weeks.

The urges and emotions that followed the realization were too overwhelming, but he accepted them anyway, since there was no turning back. He lay there, hugging her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck, smelling her, and feeling her against him. He felt complete and content.

His hand continued to travel from her shoulders to her spine. He was intently watching her while his hand slid down her spine. From his actions, her sleeping body arched into the bed, coincidently causing her hips to push into his hard on. He groaned and let his hand marvel at the softness of the texture beneath. Then his hand came to rest on her ass, their position was too tempting, but he wasn't going to act on instincts: he knew she was going to be sore this morning, so he let his hand slip to her flat tummy. She stirred, inching a little on her side. He slid his hand up and cupped her breast as he leaned into her, back to his previous position. Her small hand unconsciously found its way on top of his and squeezed it. He wickedly smiled into her shoulder and started to knead it. She shuddered and moaned lightly.

A wicked thought crossed his mind. He could wake her up to an entirely different sensation. He started to wash her back with hot open mouth kisses, slowly moving down her spine, his hand never leaving its previous place. When his lips came to rest on the small of her back, he turned her over.

His mouth found her bellybutton and trailed kisses to her pelvic bone; he traced the bone and the sensitive skin on it with his hot tongue and heard the object of his desire gasp. He raised his head and saw her indigo eyes looking down at him drowsily.

"Ichigo…" he heard her whisper. Hearing her breathe out his name made him harder, but he resisted. He didn't answer but simply went on with his ministrations. She was going to forget that she was sleepy, and he was going to make sure that she even forgot having a bed or any form of solid ground underneath her. He grinned into her already warm skin and let his hot breath caress her in the place where she needed him most…

--------------------

Rukia was having a nice dream when she realized that she was shivering because of something hot and wet trailing down her spine. She was somnolent to the point that she couldn't open her eyes or bring herself to consciousness. She felt warm and secure and didn't want to wake up; but when she felt that hot, wet appendix trailing down her body, she realized she had no choice but to wake. Opening her eyes drowsily, she gasped. She saw an orange head close to the area between her legs. She processed the sight quickly, and the events of the previous night rushed into her memory. As Ichigo raised his head and looked at her, she could see his eyes but couldn't read them. There was something mischievous in them. The moment she felt his tongue on her warm skin she was brought back to the present.

"Ichigo…" she whispered, her voice soft and small due to her sleepy state. He didn't answer her and that cause her heart to beat more madly than before. She didn't know what was going on in that deviant mind of his, but if it was something similar to what he had done last night then she was sure that she wouldn't be able to come to her senses in the next few hours. She could almost smile but she stopped breathing completely seeing where his sinfully talented mouth was going. She could call his name and ask what he was doing but she was too afraid to stop him…and she decided that she did the right thing when she felt his tongue invading her in the place that she…and all the logic went out of the window only to be replaced by a burning sensation within her.

It was a feeling that only Ichigo could create because the feeling itself was the utter definition of Ichigo. It was sinfully beautiful like him, it burned just like him when he was kissing her last night, it was heady and strong just like how he felt when he was inside of her. It was soft like the way he touched her and…loved her. She loudly moaned at the thought that coupled with the euphoric feeling that he was creating. He was talented and she wondered if he had done this before. The thought itself was enough to disturb her to the very core. She would love to be his first but that was utterly impossible since she didn't know him back then. If she couldn't be his first then she would gladly settle for being the last; at least that's what she was planning. She felt her inner self shudder at the thought, her very soul affected by his mere presence so close to her.

One of her hands was grabbing the pillow under her head tightly while the other instinctively grasped his soft orange locks. She couldn't help but try to increase the sensation and thank God, he got the hint. Sooner than she imagined she was screaming his name loud, clear, and trembling with the addictive feeling that he created. She clumsily raised herself on her elbows and when he rose and kneeled on the bed, she threw herself at him, straddling his kneeling form, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She pressed herself against him, grabbing his neck and crushing her lips to his.

Ichigo was more than happy to oblige; he liked the way she reacted to his ministrations, and with a little luck, she would be out of her virgin state of mind sooner. Not that she acted shy, but he liked it when she acted upon instinct and did whatever the hell she wanted because that was surely what he was doing. His arms wrapped themselves around her and stroked her back. He could easily throw her down and have her but he had other plans, so he let her dominate him the way she wanted and let himself feel the sensations that she was creating. He almost lost himself when she clawed his back. Though it was gentle, it was enough to drive him mad. He tore his mouth away to trace kisses to her ear.

"Rukia, we have all day and whenever you want ahead of us, but for now just stop," he said breathlessly into her ear. She moaned and lowered her head to his neck, softly sucking on his pulse. She then blew hot air on it, which caused Ichigo to hold her tighter. He could feel her grinning in his warm skin and he was sure that she could feel his fingers digging in her soft flesh in attempts to keep himself from doing something.

"I thought I told you not to try so hard Ichigo…" she whispered huskily and licked his ear. He moaned and trembled, holding on to her with dear life, "and you have pressing matters to take care of…" she resumed where she left off. If she kept doing that Ichigo was sure that he would keep her in bed all Sunday, but that would be a total disaster considering the fact that they needed food and a good, hot bath. He needed her to relax more than he needed to attend to the pressing matter at hand.

"Yeah I can feel that…trust me…but we have other things to do," he said smugly, suddenly raising them from the bed. Her legs tightened around his waist instinctively and he held her tightly all the way to his bathroom. When Rukia looked over Ichigo's shoulder, she saw the crumpled sheets of his bed and smiled. She liked the thought of it, but liked the action itself more than just the thought. She looked at him and started to nibble his earlobe.

"And I thought you weren't going to let me out of the bed for the next week." Oh, she liked tempting him didn't she? He put her down and she blinked at him. He then pulled open a drawer, taking a pair of navy blue boxers out.

She arched an eyebrow. "You keep your boxers in your bathroom?"

"Nope…I just keep one for after shower because I hate going into the chilly room with nothing on." He gave her his reasoning while scratching the back of his neck. Rukia eyed him carefully and didn't understand why he was embarrassed from such a thing. Here she was standing naked and he was getting nervous about keeping a spare pair of boxers in his bathroom. He was strange in some ways.

"That's exactly why I get dressed before I leave the bathroom. Besides, the steam keeps my skin moist before I apply the moisturizer," she said nonchalantly. He blinked, turned, and reached over to a shelf. He pulled down a blue bottle along with another taller one.

"Well I hope these are the right ones…I saw them in your bathroom but I'm not sure. And there is a toothbrush, the same one as yours. You can pour some of the foam gel in the tub when it's full. Though I think it smells too girly, I like your smell so I won't mind. I will be back in few minutes…" he said kissing her forehead and leaving the bathroom as fast as he could.

Rukia turned her head and looked at the bottles standing on the counter near the sink. She blinked at her all too familiar Blueberry scented moisturizer and the foam gel. When did he manage to get them, not to mention the same toothbrush that she had back at home? Her heart fluttered in her chest and she placed her small hands over it to make sure its erratic beat was real. This was more than him taking care of Chappy; this was taking care of her.

The sound of water brought her back to reality and she immediately shut the tap. She controlled the water and poured some foam gel in it. She looked at her reflection on the mirror one last time before she stepped into that huge marble tub. The moment her lower body made contact with the hot water she understood why he was reluctant to continue where they left off last night. She hissed and let the stinging subside. She situated herself and awaited Ichigo's return.

------------------------------

Ichigo felt his heart going wild in his chest the moment he closed the bathroom door. He wasn't sure if he did something good or bad; he didn't want to scare her. Some girls didn't like that kind of thing and he wasn't sure if Rukia was that type.

It took all his will power to walk out of that store only to return few minutes later, purchasing those things for her. He also bought some other things, like the food he saw in her fridge or the coffee brand that she was using, but none of them were big things in his book since he did them willingly. He wanted her to feel at home and not worry about trivial things like that.

He sighed and walked down the stars to his kitchen. There were little sandwiches that he ordered last night from the pizza restaurant, thinking they would be useful for moments like this. He took them out and heated them in the microwave. He then took out the orange juice, placing two tall glasses next to it. He grabbed the sandwich plate along with their drinks and walked back to his bathroom. Today was Sunday and they both had nothing better to do…

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The bathroom door opened and Ichigo walked in carrying a huge plate filled with small sandwiches, orange juice, and two glasses. He put the plate down near the sink and placed everything on the floor next to it. He took his boxers off, which Rukia avoided at all costs, and slowly slid into the water behind Rukia, her back against his chest. He immediately felt relaxed with the effect of the hot water and leaned back pulling Rukia against him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and rested herself between his legs.

"I guess I got what you meant by saying that you didn't want me to hate you last night," she murmured in his neck playfully. Ichigo cracked an eye open and looked at her face; she had a nice profile.

"Uhm, I hope you are not expecting an apology," he said smugly which earned him a swift elbow in the guts. He only laughed which also earned him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"You should laugh more…" she started while reaching down next to the sink to get a sandwich to nibble on, "that's a major turn on." Ichigo smiled and grabbed his own piece. He swallowed down half of it with only one bite.

"Are you telling me that you are turned on?" he asked playfully, chewing on his mouthful of sandwich.

"No that was few seconds ago before you started to talk with your mouth full," she answered. Leaning against his chest she started to eat her own piece silently.

They sat there, in hot water, against each other for quite sometime. Both were listening each other's heartbeats and light breathing; their heats content. Then Rukia remembered something and grinned evilly. This was the right time to tease him…

"Oh and by the way I think you should get some lessons from your father about fatherhood, since you will be stepping into that cycle of life in the next 9 months," she started without opening her eyes. Ichigo stiffened under her and she tried hard not to laugh. He straightened in the tub, taking Rukia with him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice lost and curious, his chin resting on her shoulder. His arms were circling her shoulders, which were out of water.

"I think your mind was too dazzled to realize what might be the consequences of a night like last night," she said, half turning in his embrace. His eyes widened and he tightened his hold on her shoulders.

"Shit…" he whispered.

"Yeah genius…why I thought you would be ecstatic with thought of becoming a father," she teased him a little, but his face was serious now.

"It's just…I just found you…and…you have school," he started talking but his sentences were not full, though Rukia got what he meant, "it's just, it's a huge, time consuming task and your attention will," he sighed and buried his nose in the crook of her neck. She turned to him fully and straddled him. He looked at her with questioning eyes.

"So you don't want to share me," she whispered huskily, her hands sliding up his silky mane. He blinked.

"Why are you so calm about it?" he asked hesitantly. She couldn't possibly want to have kids at such an early age right?

"Because unlike you I know about the birds and the bees," she kissed him softly on the lips, "and unlike you I'm cautious," she kissed him with a little more pressure, still not deepening it, "and unlike you, we have pills on our side of the planet." She finished her torturous talk and pressed her lips to him, keeping them there. She felt him relax fro few seconds and then he was stiff all over again. She sighed and pulled back to look at him.

"Why were you on pills?" he asked suspiciously. Rukia blinked and looked at him. She really wanted to hit her head on the marble tub so that it would split open and she wouldn't have to go through this.

"Because, you moron, I have been sleeping with different partners each night for the past week so I thought I would do myself a favor," she said in a tone that told Ichigo that she was getting irritated.

"Well we weren't on good terms up until few days before," he said lowering his head and scratching the back of his neck. Rukia shook her head and gently squeezed his shoulder to get his attention back.

"I have been on pills since that eventful night spent on that armchair in that small store of mine," her voice trailed softly as her lips started to kiss a path from his earlobe to his neck. He groaned involuntarily. His hands slipped down into the water to caress her ass. She started to shower his face with butterfly kisses. She kissed his forehead, his eyebrows, his cheeks, his nose, and his chin. She kissed the sides of his mouth and then angled his neck to kiss him properly. His mouth opened under hers and they started kiss sweetly, yet passionately.

Her hands started to roam on his back while her tongue stroked his a little differently than last night. She was feeling more blunt and he liked every second of it. He would do it all over again if she would respond like that. His arms were around her waist and her ass, and they started to travel up her spine. He realized that her spine was a little sensitive among with her pelvic bone and breasts. It was a good thing to be observant enough to make your partner happy, but his want and need to make her happy was a little bit more than the usual sensation. Technically, he was over observant and was using that to drive her as mad as possible so that she would never leave him.

There also was that age old, almost biological manly need to satisfy your partner so that she wouldn't leave with another, but that was the tiniest part of the whole feeling. It was ancient and almost written in every man's genetic code. The biggest part of that feeling came from another feeling, which he never felt towards any female in his entire life. He found it scary and confusing, because of the things that it was making him do, but he welcomed it as long as it was harmless and continued to cause those extreme sensations. He didn't give a damn about the urges and needs; he would just go with the flow as long as it didn't hurt him. That was the point that made him shiver with anticipation. That was the very reason why he was trying too hard to prove a point to her in his own way, trying to make her happy and satisfying her so that she wouldn't doubt and commit herself fully to him. He could then commit himself to her, and they both would end up happy.

Strangely enough, he was still feeling threatened by the males around even though he knew that she wanted him and chose him to be with her. The ringing of her cell phone interrupted his train of thought. Thank God, he brought both of their phones when he came back to bathroom or else they would have had to get out of the tub and that was the last thing on his mind right now. He reached down near the tub without breaking the kiss and grabbed her phone from the floor. He reluctantly tore his mouth from hers and looked at the phone. His brows furrowed.

"What the hell do you want?" Ichigo answered the phone, his voice a little thick. Rukia blinked at him, since he was holding _her _pink phone in his hand and answering someone who actually called _her_. She reached to grab the phone but he blocked her move simply by tightening his hold on her waist. She could hear the voice that was answering him. Was that Shuuhei?

"_Oi, where the hell is Rukia?!?!" _

"That's none of your business, why the hell did you call?"

"_Its fucking 3 p.m. Kurosaki! And it's Sunday, there was this…"_ but before he could finish, Ichigo passed the phone to Rukia. There was a scowl on his face, but she ignored it. She took the phone and started to talk while at the same time, Ichigo started to trail open mouth kisses down her neck, his thumb caressing the small of her back in the water. She tried hard not to shudder.

"H-Hello," she answered as cool as possible, but it was nearly impossible since she was burning.

"_Oi, Rukia today is Sunday, we were suppose to be having a late Sunday lunch all together where the hell have you been," _oh yes, that was Hisagi. He was yelling at the top of his lungs into the phone.

"U-Uhmm…" she shuddered and bit her lip to stifle a moan now that Ichigo was nibbling on her collarbone, "I kinda slept late last night and couldn't wake up," she murmured. She was dying to purr but there was Hisagi on the other side.

"_Is that bastard doing something to you?!?! I will just come there and kick his lily ass. I should have known something was amiss when he told me to feed Chappy. DAMN IT! I'm coming!!!"_

"NO," she yelled involuntarily, "don't…I'm all right, just…we will meet in an hour how about that, huh?" she offered breathlessly.

"Ok…Just be there in an hour or else I'm going to give his…" but before he could finish his sentence Ichigo grabbed the phone, shut it, and put it down near the tub.

"We should go…we are going to meet with the gang in an hour," she said, gripping the hair at the base of his neck while his hot mouth was sucking heavily on her pulse. He growled and held her as near as possible.

"Do we have to go?" he asked, while licking the bruised skin.

"Yup, we had decided to have that lunch weeks ago," she answered. She didn't want to go either but she didn't have much choice. She promised her friends, who were also his friends; the same crew from Soi-Fong's birthday.

"We are not finished…yet," he said huskily, crushing his mouth on hers. He kissed her hungrily as his hand was fisted in her hair. Her body was pressed against his, and his other hand sprawled on her back, pressing her closer. She groaned and pushed him a little to tell him that they should go. He reluctantly pulled back and rose from the water. He took two black towels and gave one to Rukia.

"If you want I can bring your clothes here," he offered with a soft tone. She nodded and smiled. He left the bathroom with his towel securely wrapped it around his waist, cursing Hisagi. Rukia couldn't help but giggle, he sometimes reminded her a little boy who wanted to play more in the sandbox.

Yes, Ichigo definitely wanted to play, but Rukia had no idea what kind of sandbox he wanted to play in…

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**rabbit rants: **So what do you say? I really like it when you guys write long, detailed reviews telling me what you liked and did not like, what you wanted to see or read…Im just a weird writer who likes to know as much as possible, so just let me know ok?

**smilie90000 rants:** OOOH my gosh, you guys have no idea how hard this was to beta! It's so long, but so worth it! OK so she actually gave me this a couple of days ago, but with Thanksgiving and all of that, I really didn't have time to beta it. I'm sorry for the short delay! But here it is I hope you all enjoyed. I thought it was very sweet… can't wait to beta the next chapter.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** Fortunately not mine or else it would turn out to be a shojou _–grins evilly-_ oh and the poem belongs to Elizabeth Browning!

**rabbit talks:** Guys the readers are rapidly decreasing and I dont kow why. If there is something wrong please tell me so that I can make it right ok? And one more thing...I tried to answer some of the reviews but some I couldn't, I deeply apologize, its not going to happen again.and the story will go under re-editing from the begining, but nothing is going to change only the chapters will be beta-ed. Now go on and read

Indeed this very love which is my boast,

And which, when rising up from breast to brow,

Doth crown me with ruby large enow

To draw men's eyes and prove the inner cost,--

This love even, all my worth, to the uttermost,

I should not love withal, unless that thou

Hadst set me an example, shown me how,

When first thine earnest eyes with mine were crossed,

And love called love. And thus, I cannot speak

Of love even, as good thing of my own:

Thy soul hath snatched up mine all faint and weak,

And placed it by thee on a golden throne,--

And that I love (O soul, we must be meek--)

Is by thee only, whom I love alone.

_A funny Sunny Sunday_

Quincy was one of the rare restaurants that were closed on Sundays because the owner and his fiancé, the chief cook, wanted to take a day off. However, today was no ordinary day and the restaurant was going to be served for their friends only, starting a tradition that might continue for years to come. This event had been decided nearly a month ago and Inoue Orihime spent days preparing a special menu. She always liked to cook for special events.

The crew that met in Soi-Fong's birthday party was sitting around a huge table, full complements, except the two deviant minds of their precious group, namely Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia.

This, of course, troubled some of them like Hisagi Shuuhei who was fuming and red in the face because of unreleased anger.

"Seriously Shuu-chan can't you sit down for a minute," Matsumoto Rangiku asked playfully, while twirling a long blonde lock around her finger. Shuuhei gave her a defiant look.

"No I can't, that damn bastard was doing something to Rukia," he yelled. Everyone blinked and couldn't give a meaning to his outburst.

"Of course he is…the last time I checked they were together," Risa said from the other side while twirling a fork between her fingers.

"You might think that's normal in your perverted mind but that's Rukia we are talking about!!!" No one had seen the carefree, fun loving, flirty Hisagi Shuuhei that serious and angry. Not even Rangiku.

"Shuuhei, honey, sit down. You are not making sense. If you were that jealous, then you should get her for yourself. If you can't, then I think you should bow down and respect the man that had the balls to do that," Rangiku said, even though her voice was playful she knew she had hit a nerve, and she hit it hard. Shuuhei's brows furrowed and he sat down.

"I'm not jealous, it's just that I don't like when Ichigo comes and gets his way with everything decent and pure," he growled.

"Oh, trust me, if you only knew your beloved princess from the eyes of a woman. You wouldn't be using decent and pure in the same sentence with her name," she grinned and added, "It's not that she is not, but she has one hell of a deviant mind, and she can read men like an open book when she wants to. Trust me, if there is someone that can handle Kuchiki Rukia in everyway, that's Kurosaki Ichigo. There was another one but that case has been taken care of by the same man," she finished with an amused glint in her eyes.

When Shuuhei was about to make a comment, they saw the couple walking towards the glass double doors of the restaurant from across the street. Rangiku thought they looked cute together, both wearing hooded sweaters (Rukia's was pink and Ichigo's was dark red). She thought Rukia was probably trying to hide something. She couldn't wait to hear the details; she mentally rubbed her hands with excitement.

"Bad news for you: they did it," Risa said and the whole conversation died, with every head turning towards her. She pushed her glasses and added, "I don't know about Rukia but I know that Ichigo's body language screams that they did it."

With that said, every head turned towards the couple as they entered from the front door and watched as Rukia approached the table while Ichigo closed and locked the door behind them. He then followed her footsteps and stood next to her at the head of the table with an unpleasant frown on his face. He just wanted to growl.

"Sorry, we are late. I hope you didn't wait too long," she said apologetically and poked Ichigo in the ribs to make him say something, but he only growled. Shuuhei's left eye twitched. The tension couldn't be cut even with a chainsaw. Rukia gulped.

"Say it and get over with it," Rukia heard her boyfriend growling to her good friend Shuuhei. She could also see Shinji's smirking face. Shinji? What the hell was he doing here?

"I'm so going to castrate you," Shuuhei said suddenly rising from his chair. Rukia blinked. Ichigo didn't even flinch.

"I would like to see you try," Ichigo answered with a warning in his tone.

"How could you?!?"

"The last time I checked you were encouraging me."

"I never encouraged you do _it_."

"What do I look like, an asexual one celled organism?!? Of course it was bound to happen; I didn't know you were that naïve."

"Why you …" but before Shuuhei could finish, he screamed in pain and stumbled towards the table looking at the she-devil (as Renji so affectionately called his princess; however, she was nothing near to a princess now) with wide eyes.

"How dare you talk about me like I'm some sort of property," she growled with an icy tone. Hisagi stepped back. Ichigo had a sadistic smile on his face, "The last time I checked I was wearing neither your name nor his (pointing her finger to wards Ichigo) across me as a brand." Ichigo's smile disappeared immediately to be replaced by a frown. She was wearing his teeth marks, and that was the very definition of him branding her since the dental records was one of the valid things, even after death, to identify a person by. He wanted to smirk and show that to the black haired bastard's face but he couldn't or else Rukia would just kick him, or God forbid, start avoiding him. He gulped and continued to stare at her.

"I didn't mean it that way Kia-chan," Hisagi whined. She arched an eyebrow.

"Good, because God knows I would change your mind forcefully," she said, gaining a sly grin from Hiyori and Risa. Suddenly Rukia's face relaxed into its previous state and she looked around happily like nothing had happened.

"This is a wonderful idea! I guess we have to thank Hime for that," Rukia cheered and threw herself at Orihime. Now they were hugging enthusiastically, or course with Rukia's feet dangling in the air. Everyone laughed and the dark mood disappeared within seconds, leaving two men fuming and glaring at each other.

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While they ate in peace, they talked about their lives, how everyone was doing, how their schools/jobs were going, and how their lives were in general. It wasn't until the end of the meal that they started to talk about Rukia and Ichigo and how their project was going.

"So how is it going," Shinji asked. Rukia looked at him with a playful smirk.

"It's going bad, what did you expect?" Shinji blinked. Rukia was a good photographer so he didn't know why it was going bad.

"Why? You are pretty competent," he objected. Rukia was sitting between Renji and Ichigo, across Shinji and Hiyori.

"Because a certain someone struggles to get acquainted with the model we found for him," she said, glaring at an oblivious Ichigo who was concentrated on the noodle-like thing that he was eating.

"You are kidding right," he asked, not believing her.

"No I'm so not," she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Lantis says he has a puppy devotion, we can't get him closer to her more than a foot, let alone make him hug her or hold her." She frowned into her plate. Shinji paled and glanced at Ichigo who was happily (of course as happy as a Kurosaki Ichigo could be) chatting with Toshiro, teasing the poor boy mercilessly in front of his cute shy girlfriend Momo.

"Jeez, you should find a way to make him do that," Shinji said, cutting the beef-like stuff in his plate. He didn't want to know what it was, so he didn't ask.

"Well I told Lantis to find someone new, but I don't now what he did. Actually let's call him," she said and took her phone out. That got Ichigo's attention and he turned to her, watching her every move intently.

"Who are you calling," he asked, apparently irritated.

"Lantis," she said while she was waiting for him to pick up the phone.

"_Darling!"_ Ichigo wanted to growl and he was going to make the man pay when he saw him.

"Hi Lantis!"

"_And I was planning to call you,"_ the irritating man cheered from the other side of the line.

"Really then it's good that I acted first. Why were you going to call me?"

"_Well actually I would like to talk face to face, so can we meet today?" _No way! That was his Sunday with his girlfriend and that freak couldn't have that! Ichigo just wanted to reach and grab the phone and threw it away.

"We are eating at Quincy, you can drop by on your way if you want."

"_Quincy is closed on Sundays!!!"_

"It belongs to one of our friends and we are actually having a get together."

"_Ok then I will be there in 15 minutes!" _

"See you," and with that said she shut her phone and turned her attention back to Ichigo, who was looking at her with a frown on his face.

"Why the hell did you invite him," Ichigo said with an unbelieving tone in his voice. He didn't want to see the bastard on this fine Sunday; he saw his ugly face enough during the weekdays, thank you!

"We have something to discuss about this GAP thing, all due to your incompetence," she said nonchalantly.

"You can't be serious!" Today was Sunday; he had plans to do and things to show to Rukia! _Smooth!_ His perverted side commented. Not for the first time, Ichigo agreed with his perverted side.

"I am! We have to change the model because you can't get close to her for more than a foot!" She was angry, that was obvious from her tone, yet she was not putting her heart into the fight, which of course amused Ichigo to no end. She looked really hot when she was mad, so he liked to make her mad. He could almost imagine their future hot, make-up sex, because he was sure that he wouldn't be able to hold back once he saw her this mad and hot.

"Well I don't feel comfortable with her and I told you before that she has a crush on me!!!" Now they were yelling at each other and everyone was watching them intently.

"I don't give a shit, it's a job! You could be a little more professional. Because of your twisted understanding we are behind schedule," Rukia yelled, her hand was fisted, grabbing the collar of Ichigo's sweater.

Their foreheads were touching and they were growling at each other. It was a sight to behold, and everyone chuckled. The famous couple diverted their attentions to other places, embarrassed. Rukia was blushing and Ichigo had some glint in his eyes while looking at her blushing form. Rangiku saw him smirking and leaning down to whisper something in her ear. She also saw Rukia's blush deepen. That dirty bastard! She couldn't help but chuckle. She was right, the only man for Rukia in that room was Ichigo, and it was as plain as day.

------------------

Exactly fifteen minutes later, the black haired, tall, handsome man was taping on the glass doors. Rukia jumped from her seat and ran towards the door to open it.

"Oh darling you definitely look like Sunday," Lantis said with an annoyingly playful tone, which irritated the shit out of a certain orange haired man who was growling in his seat.

"Is this your way of saying that I look like hell," she questioned him with an amused smirk on her face, while crossing her arms over her chest.

"You couldn't look like hell even if you tried!" Ichigo thought what would happen if he threw his chair at the man. His left eye twitched.

"Cut the crap, what do you want," Rukia asked, still smiling.

"Well I have a personal favor to ask!"

"I guessed that part. Let's seat you so that we can talk. We were already discussing Ichigo's condition with Shinji," she said, directing Lantis towards their table. He greeted everyone gently and pulled up a chair for himself. Orihime immediately brought a plate filled with something that Lantis didn't know and didn't want to question.

"So spill it," Rukia said cheerfully while seating herself back to her place between Renji and Ichigo.

"I heard that you have exceptional taste in lingerie among with Rangiku-san, and my fourth year anniversary with Fong-Fong is coming! I want to do something special so I would like to ask your help," Lantis Jenkins was digging his own grave right now. Was he really that suicidal? Hisagi couldn't help but think. Here was Ichigo sitting across the man, and he was asking _his_ girlfriend to help him in lingerie shopping. Yeah right!

"Why not, but let me give you a clue; neither Ran-Chan nor I would do you any good without a help from a certain someone," she said rather proudly. Lantis froze and looked at Rukia, "We have to take Shinji with us as always," she cheered. Ichigo cringed and a vain was popping on Hiyori's forehead.

"Come again," Ichigo asked because the dumbfounded expression on Lantis's face gave him enough clues that he wasn't in the right state of mind to form words.

"I personally have been shopping for lingerie with Shinji since I was 14 and Ran-Chan joined our crew three years ago when we met at Las Noches," she answered him softly with an amused glint in her beautiful indigo eyes. Shinji was sweat dropping and Hiyori was fuming along with Shuuhei.

"OK then, we have a week so let me know when all three of you are available so that we can go and shop for something that she will like," Lantis concluded and started a new topic, "I have a good and a bad news, which one do you want first?" he asked.

"Well the good news!"

"For you or for him," he asked pointing his finger towards Ichigo. Both blinked and looked at Lantis with questioning eyes. The said man sighed and started to talk after wiping his mouth to the white napkin that Orihime gave him with his plate.

"I found a model. This one is good and experienced in a sense. She is a lingerie model and she is…well hot according to most men."

"That's good! God knows I needed someone experienced because I'm going to go mad! What's her name? When can I see her," Rukia questioned under the heavy gazes of Rangiku and Ichigo. Rangiku couldn't understand how could she deal with the fact that her boyfriend was going to pose with a lingerie model.

"Neliel Tu Oderschvank. She is actually an undergrad like you in TU," he said crossing his arms over his chest.

"Are you kidding? You mean Nel right? The blond tall girl with big boobs?" He nodded, and Rukia started to laugh, along with Shinji.

"You know her," Lantis asked, obviously interested.

"Of course, I practically grew up with her!"

"Is she a noble?!!?"

"Yeah, she has a very strict mother but a soft mushy father. She only says 'I want this' and its done," she said still laughing. Good God, she was going to work with Nel, which was going to be fun!

"Tsk, there is nothing worse than a spoiled noble girl," Lantis declared.

"Why, you! I might feel offended you know," Rukia objected.

"Seriously did I find another incompetent person?"

"Nope, first of all she is not spoiled, though she can be childish sometimes, she is very down to earth. So what's the other news," she asked curiously.

"Uhm, how should I put this?" he tapped his chin with his finger, "Shiba is coming for ten days to sign something with Retsu-san and the heads wanted him to assist you while he was here." Rukia looked at him and blinked.

"You mean Kaien?"

"How many Shibas do you know? Wait, forget about that they are noble so probably you know many."

"Hmmm…" she looked away with a thoughtful look on her face. However, Ichigo was murderous next to her. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He thought he got rid of the bastard for good but now he was coming back. He was fuming and he didn't want to think what would happen if he put his hands on the man.

"I think I have an idea," Rukia said with a sadistic tone in her voice. Ichigo couldn't help but cringe, she was up to something and somehow he felt that he wasn't going to like it.

"What is it?"

"I'm changing the theme. The names we have with us: Ichigo, Nel, and Kaien are legends in their categories. I also have a hokey player, and the most wanted DJ of Las Noches, and they're both legends on their own, so I'm changing the theme of the catalog. I'm going to make all of them pose!"

"Hmmm…that's bloody genius! Why didn't we think about that before?!? All of them would make everything that they wear sell, men would want to look like them…that's really genius Rukia," he cheered uncharacteristically. Nevertheless, Rukia knew he meant it: he was a genuine person.

"When is Kaien coming," she suddenly asked a little panicked. She turned towards the man with black hair and stared at him with questioning eyes.

"Didn't he tell you?"

"Are you kidding, he is probably planning to sneak up on me in school and scare the shit out of me just to hear me scream my _bloody _head off," she ranted. Lantis laughed at that.

"Oh boy, a good British accent would be perfect for you! If you want I can teach you so that you can woo the opposite sex more expertly!" He was grinning evilly, knowing too well that she didn't need that and she wouldn't be able to do that while she was trying hard to conceal the marks that were probably administered by Kurosaki. He just shook his head and turned his attention to the subject at hand.

"She doesn't need to woo anyone," Ichigo growled from the other side, there was a flame burning in his eyes with a murderous look. Lantis smirked; he didn't have the balls to threaten him so openly…

"He is coming on Tuesday, so I guess Thursday is good to meet and discuss things," he continued like Ichigo hadn't said a thing.

"Nope, we are going to meet and discuss things on Wednesday, and we will start on Thursday," Rukia objected crossing her arms over her chest. Lantis pinched the bridge of his nose and went silent for few minutes.

"Ok, Wednesday is good," he tapped his chin and looked at Rukia, "When are we going to that lingerie shopping," he asked suddenly. Rukia sweat dropped and looked over at Rangiku. She simply smiled and gave her a thumbs up which meant they would also be shopping for lingerie. She grinned evilly. She could torture Ichigo.

After Lantis ate his meal and chatted with the others in the group, he left. They stayed for another few hours drinking and playing board games because they couldn't say no to Orihime. The girl was a prodigy and she had some sort of energy that Rukia never thought anyone could have. However, what irritated her during the whole ordeal was Ichigo's mood. After Lantis, he started to scowl harder and his mood seemed darker. She guessed that it was about Kaien and she knew that she had to assure him somehow.

They left the restaurant well past 9 p.m.; some of them had school tomorrow, and some of them had other things to do. For her, school was going to be another boring day and she would gladly spend the day with Ichigo, but she doubted that he would accept that or let her skip it for him.

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They were sitting on her couch silently sipping their teas while watching some stupid thing on TV. They came to her house because they need to feed and take Chappy out for a walk, and Rukia decided that they had better stay because her dog had been lonely lately.

She glanced over at the object of her desire that was sitting at the other end of the couch. He was somehow distancing himself. She could see him looking at the screen blankly; his mind was probably occupied with something different. She slowly reached over, grabbed the remote, and turned the TV off. He didn't even move, so she called his name and he jerked.

"Huh?" Ichigo looked at her with confused chocolate eyes.

"If you don't want to stay here you can go home. It's obvious that your mind is occupied with something," she offered gently.

"No, it's not that. I was just thinking," he replied.

"Do you always torture yourself while thinking? Because you seem like you are in an awfully dark mood." She slowly scooted closer to Ichigo and grabbed his hand, "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

"Nothing…" his voice trailed off. She looked at him. His arm was popped up on the armrest of the couch and his cheek was resting in his palm.

"There is something, but it's clear that you don't want to talk about it, so I'm not going to pester you," she tried to sooth him. He sighed and looked at her.

"Why didn't you tell me that Kaien has kissed you before he left for Italy," he asked. Rukia blinked: so that was the real reason. Kaien was coming back and Ichigo was feeling insecure somehow.

"Uhm, we weren't on good terms…actually we were pretty bad back then," she stated, yet her voice was wavering with uncertainty. She didn't want to remember those days. Uncharacteristically, those days she cried, and what was funny was that she cried over a man. She never ever cried over Kaien, even if their past was more complicated than the one between her and Ichigo.

"Are you going to go back to him every time that we have an argument or something," he asked, he was not looking at her but she could see the steel look in his normally fiery and passionate orbs.

"The situation is changed Ichigo, we weren't together back then, and I had the impression that you were fooling around with me. Besides, it's not that I threw myself in his arms, he simply kissed me good bye and I don't consider that a kiss." Normally she would be irritated because of such a question, but this time she wasn't. Somehow, she knew the logic of Kurosaki Ichigo's mind.

"I don't fool around with any girl, and when I'm kissing her, or communicating with her in a different way rather than usual, then I'm definitely not fooling around with that girl. You just got me wrong." Now he was looking at her with fire burning in his eyes. She liked that look; hell, she liked every look that he gave her. She knew she was in deep, but then again that didn't mean she was going to tolerate everything.

"Pray tell, how am I supposed to understand that minor detail while I was barely getting to know you?" Oh, now she was irritated. How the hell was she supposed to understand him without any communication, and how could she know that he was actually bonding with her in a different manner?!?! He really was impossible sometimes.

Ichigo just grunted and went back to his musing without answering her question. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on so that she would get off his back.

"Well if you want to avoid me that much, why don't you go to your own house and watch your own TV," she said anger rising in her.

"I will stay wherever the hell I want! And now I want to stay here, so sit and watch because you started to talk none sense," he said crossing his arms over his chest and snuggling deeper into the couch. Rukia scoffed and left the living room, fuming. Ichigo could hear glasses hitting each other and other types of noises from the kitchen. He just wanted to be left alone for sometime, he had to collect his thoughts.

Today was a complete mess for him in a sense. First, he was torn apart form his delicious Sunday with his new found glory, Kuchiki Rukia. He really wanted to spend sometime with her, preferably alone because she had school during the weekdays, and they would be working up until next Sunday. He just wanted to snuggle into his warm sheets with her and spend a lazy Sunday, eating, sleeping, and making out, which would be followed by other activities.

Just like that, his Sunday was wasted on friends who gave him dirty looks, and tried to warn him in every way possible without making it obvious to Rukia. Of course being the fair maiden, she was quite oblivious to the whole thing. Hisagi irritated him even before they started to eat, and then came that jerk Lantis only to give more bad news.

Just when he thought that he had some time with his Rukia that bastard was coming back, even if it was for ten days. Ten days were enough for Shiba to turn his little heaven into hell. He didn't want him here and he didn't want to work with him either. However, he had to thank Rukia sometime for taking a heavy lift off his back. Now every one was included and he felt relaxed because of that. He was sure that Rukia did this on purpose. She really was one of a kind…

He slowly glanced at the other side of the couch to see her fuming over a cup of coffee. She really looked cute when she was pouting and angry. Was that the make-up sex he had been looking for? Nah, he didn't want to deal with an irritated Rukia right now. He just wanted…he just wanted to be cared for, and comforted oddly enough and quite opposite to his character. He wanted her to reach over and grab him so that he could press his head to her soft breasts and listen to her heartbeat until it lulled him to sleep. Yes, he was definitely getting sappier but he couldn't help it when he was around her.

Her presence was comforting enough that he wasn't his temperamental self. Normally he would break Hisagi's jaw for the things he said today, but he didn't do it and it wasn't because he was afraid of Rukia, it was because he didn't feel the need to. It was odd that he strongly believed in Rukia when she said she wasn't afraid of him, and that she wasn't going to leave him for something like that. He didn't feel the urge to prove himself to her as a man or a strong person in a sense.

As he looked at her, all the desires from the previous night and this morning flooded back into his soul and created a new hunger for her. His gaze traveled down, starting from the crook of her elegant neck and went down to her bare shoulder. She was wearing a dark blue spaghetti strap shirt over white cotton low-rise boy shorts. He could also see her narrow waist because the offending fabric was ridden down a little when she scratched an invisible itch. His fingers itched to reach and…

Ichigo did not know how it happened, how one moment he had been sitting on the opposite end of the couch, adoring every inch of his fair maiden, while the next moment his right hand was wrapped around the back of her neck, pulling her lips towards his, while his left hand clamped immediately onto her breast. He was trying to control his powerful lust for her, not to mention his erection, but it was futile.

She was only able to let go of a startled yelp before Ichigo covered her mouth with his, his tongue immediately invading her mouth while his hot breath tingled her skin. She couldn't help but gasp at the intensity of his kiss as her head hit back to the soft couch.

Her gasp soon turned into a belying whimper, which drove Ichigo closer to the madness that he kept locked inside, as his thumb passed roughly across the top of her breast, teasing the nipple with his talented fingers. She jerked against his touch and he moaned; he simply loved to be able to elicit such reactions from her. His body immediately moved to press her back into the soft fabric of the couch as he laid himself on top of her. The hand at the back of her neck moved up and gripped her black locks tightly as he tilted her head so he was directly above her. Everything about her was so arousing that he barely controlled himself. Her heat was calling out to him, making him feel things that he never felt before. It was exciting him and terrifying him at the same time, but he knew that he needed more of it, he needed more of her, he needed more of being with her. His tongue traced the pink softness of her lips, while he dived back into her moist cavern with the next moan.

They needed to go to her bedroom…and they needed to go NOW.

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She panted helplessly as she felt him fill her inch-by-inch. She knew he was trying to torture her, but this was too much. She wanted him and she wanted him now. When he finally sheathed himself in her she couldn't help but whimper. His largeness filled her entire being and completed her. She had never tasted such a blissful feeling. She did not move for a moment, she simply wanted to be lost in the sensations of him. Ichigo was pretty much thinking the same things with her; he wanted so badly to be inside of her heat, tightly winding her and pushing her over the edges of conscious feeling until she could do nothing but lie on her back and scream.

He was panting above her body, his hot breath coming out with little puffs, she traveled her small hands down his chest, feeling the muscles that every girl would give her right arm to touch. She could feel the violent thudding in his heart as she stopped wandering and pressed her palm flat against the point. She moaned loudly as he nearly took himself out and trusted back with such force that she thought she was going to pass out.

She was moaning beneath him, writhing at the delicious sensations he was sending coursing through her body. He never knew that a woman could create such emotions in his very soul, as he trusted deeply in her. His heart was simply bursting to show her how he felt, how she made him feel and how good he could make her feel. Ichigo wanted to give her more, so much more. He didn't want her to simply moan, he wanted to make her writhe and scream as he pushed into her repeatedly.

Ichigo knew exactly what to do; his teeth were biting at her neck while his tongue soothed the marks, his hand was kneading her breast just the way she liked. God, he was a fast learner. He was thrusting into her so forcefully that his movements were causing her to buck and moan until she could feel the delicious yet inevitable tightening of her insides. She didn't want it to finish; she wanted to feel him more. She wanted to be absorbed in his strong and dominating nature so much that she could give her very being just to have it longer. She was sure her soul was already his, but then again, she had nothing left to offer since their first night.

She was delicious, she was so soft, and she was so amazing! She was simply too much… she was panting and groaning and whimpering loudly, her fingernails digging into the base of his neck, her tongue working wonders against his, her soft body pressing against his, both slick with sweat. He never knew kissing someone could bring him so close to the edge. He was sure he could easily see the stars behind his eyes while making out with her, that was if he could keep his hands to himself and if he could keep it in his pants, which was an impossibility in itself.

Her pants were becoming more insistent as Ichigo thrust into her with wild abandon. This vigorous lovemaking was soon to become his one and only addiction, if not his new obsession aside from her very being. Ichigo knew that he needed to bring her to the edge. Her back arched into him and she screamed his name, feeling Ichigo as he continued to thrust into her with a strong and steady rhythm, even as she climaxed. She was sure he could go for hours but if she had such a powerful climax, then he would surely follow her in few minutes, and she was right when she felt him climax as hard as her.

Ichigo panted as he finished completely. His body was above hers but his arms were weak and shaking. Damn, his whole body was shaking, not trembling, but shaking. However, that wasn't even close to the shaking of his souls. He opened his eyes, dark with unfulfilled desire that he was always going to have no matter how many times he had her, and stared down at Rukia, his being simply wanted to possess her soul, the mind and body was not enough, he needed the heart and the soul in the way he was given his to her. Her cheeks were tainted with pastel pink from the heat they were sharing, if not because of the activity itself. Her indigo orbs were dark, dazed and passionately shining, reflecting his soul in them, he could see her chest heaving with heavy breathing under him, her body throbbing as he gently laid himself above her.

Her arms immediately wrapped around his neck and she pressed a kiss to the side of his face. Her lips were so soft on his skin that he couldn't help but moan at the sensation and bury his nose to the crook of her neck. He simply loved the way she held him and caressed him. He didn't care if he became sappier with every passing day. This was simply the gentles way that a person could show affection and he loved to have it from her.

He opened his eyes and looked at her while holding her form tightly in his arms, still lying on top of her. Her eyes were closed and he could feel her lashes against his skin. She didn't complain about his weight, she embraced him lovingly and passionately, wanting to be close to him as much as possible.

She clung to him, her breath tickling his shoulder and her heartbeat thudding against his. Her breasts were pressed against his chest and her stomach touched his as she breathed. This was one of the most sensual things that Ichigo had ever experienced. This slow teasing and magnificent stimuli was driving him mad enough to have her again and again, of course if only she didn't have school tomorrow. He tried to relax in her loving yet unintentionally erotic embrace. Her legs were woven into his and her lips were constantly placing butterfly kisses on his face. Somehow, she seemed like she couldn't keep herself away from him, and he loved every second of it.

"I hope it's normal for me to feel so horny," she murmured with amusement evident in her tone. Ichigo grinned into her shoulder and gently bit the skin under his lips. His hold on her tightened and with one swift motion he changed their position. Now she was lying on top of him. She slowly raised herself on her elbows, his head between them, and her hands tangled in his soft orange hair. She leaned down and captured his lips, delving her tongue into his mouth. She started to stroke his tongue with her own and few seconds later, Ichigo's left hand trailed to cup her cheek and pressed her mouth closer. Less than few minutes ago, they were both moaning and panting heavily.

Ichigo's hand left her cheek and started to trail down her body with its twin, as they continued to kiss slowly, but deeply and passionately. He caressed her sides and slid his hands down her spine just the way she loved. When his devilish hands reached her soft ass, he gave them a squeeze, which caused her to moan loudly, so he got better access into her mouth, and now it was in deeper. His hands left her ass reluctantly and they snaked between them trailing up to cup her breasts.

"Ichigo…" she panted breathlessly, her lips millimeters away from his. He was panting heavily like her and he just wanted to continue.

"It's perfectly normal," he whispered with a voice that was thick with desire from the previous activities. He gently kneaded her breasts and let himself feel her renewed want and need wash over him like the warm summer rain. His hands left the task and trailed up to cup her face. He tilted her head and looked into her eyes.

"When is your class tomorrow," he asked.

"I only have class between 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM on Mondays. Why?" She looked at him and saw him smirking devilishly. She whimpered and arched an eyebrow, but instead of answering, he crushed his mouth to hers as he pushed himself in a sitting position while she straddled him.

He had all the time he needed to satisfy the beast in him temporarily, until tomorrow night. If he started right now, maybe he could sate it until 3:30 PM tomorrow…

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rabbit talks: Guys I started to read Fruits Basket and it immediately showed its effect on my writing! Im turning into a sappy writer!!!!T_-screams and runs around in the room-_ seriously what do you think, I mean I feel like Im losing my touch and I fell into despair again about bleach. I mean one of my story is waiting(heavens dead) and I have a writers block because of the damn manga going nowhere and anime being heartless! Ok enough of my ranting I guess, don't forget to leave a review! Oh by the way, finals are on the way but I will try my best!

Beta Rant: **hits head against concrete** She again gave me this like a week ago! But I've had so much crap to do! I prooomise to beta sooner for her! Great ending to a stressful chapter, huh? Lol, it was fun to beta ))) She does passionate scenes reallllyyy well.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:**Not mine!

**rabbit's Note: **guys I know you have been waiting forever. And I'm so sorry but the school was being a bitch. Now I'm free-for now- and I'm planning to finish Fireflies in the Garden with regular updates. This is an edited version. finally my beloved beta sent it, cheers to her from here!

_The Blonde and the Bothersome Boyfriend_

Rukia tried to listen to what her professor said but her mind was occupied with thoughts of the photo shoot. She just came up with few back up plans and arranged a few scenarios, but she wasn't sure if anything was going to work out. First of all, she didn't want Kaien to interfere no matter what. This was her photo shoot, and it was going to be the way that she wanted and planned. This was her future, not Kaien's.

She was so busy thinking things that she couldn't find time to think about Ichigo. She realized that she was just starting to learn his other side aside from the cool, aloof exterior. He was a sweet person to know, talkative when he wanted to be, and he had one hell of a libido. She didn't complain though, since he was so talented in that department. But then again, she didn't want to think about the other girls. Dealing with and seeing Risa everyday was bad enough of a reminder for her.

Her eyes shifted towards Risa unintentionally and stared at her, calculating. What did Ichigo find in Risa? _Aside from her being beautiful and hot?_ Her mind asked and Rukia snorted. She already knew that, but Rukia was good too…right? She wasn't and couldn't be considered a classical beauty, but she had her own share of fan boys. Actually, men were attracted to her because of her fragile yet defiant look. She didn't know what would happen when their interests shifted toward her other qualities. _Like big breasts and a tall curvy frame?_ The almighty mind asked again, of course Rukia answered with a simple snort.

"What's with the face, Kuchiki?" the smooth voice of Shiba Kaien asked next to her. She slowly turned her head and looked at the man. She blinked once and then twice before turning her attention back to the teacher.

"About the lover boy?" he asked. She could almost hear him smirking smugly.

"Now why would I make such a face while thinking of my lover?" she asked, knowing too well that this comment was going to touch a nerve.

"Maybe he didn't turn out to be such a good lover? I don't know…" he answered, trying to irritate her while trying to find out how far they were in their relationship.

"You've just said it: you don't know. But let me assure you, I'm very fond of him." She smiled sweetly, which could easily be found sickening by Shinji since he knew when she faked her smiles and when she did not.

Kaien arrived yesterday, just as Lantis had said, and he tried to scare her, just as Rukia had predicted. This time, however, she just gave him a cold glare and brushed off his advances which, she knew, irritated him beyond imagination. His face was a sight to behold and she felt twisted pleasure for all the years he had tormented her, even if it was unconsciously. The fact that she could find a good, handsome and smart lover simply because she was good was something she wanted to rub in Kaien's face, even if he didn't want her or see her that way. Truth be told, Shiba Kaien did _wonders_ to her ego, not to mention her previous love interests like Renji, or even for some time, Hisagi. Now they were all pinning after women who were a potential danger to Rukia's existence as a woman. Rukia felt that she was not good enough to be desired by them, let alone be considered in any category that required a classification different than friendship.

Hisagi had a major crush on Ran-chan. Rukia was sure about that because quite contrary to popular belief, she was not naïve, but rather observant. A person who liked to write was supposed to be observant all the time and this was something innate since she was actually the daughter of "The Shakespeare of the 20th Century". She didn't know why Shuuhei was not acting on his feelings, but she was suspicious that he was enjoying the slow torture of unrequited love. Well it was not that unrequited, since she knew that Ran-chan was _attracted_ to him. Rukia gave the reason to the older woman since she was living with an older and gallingly sneaky man like Ichimaru Gin. She never understood why Ran-chan liked that man, but lately she looked tired of Gin.

On the other hand, she had Renji who was dating Risa, the one that most guys wanted to bed. She was an icy looking bitch with a phenomenal hot side in bed. There were rumors about her being the best in some departments which she didn't want to name. But she had quite a reputation and she always took the hottest guys to her bed, mainly the ones that Rukia had dreamed about but had never been able to acquire. She had her suspicions that Hisagi had been on that train too, but she wasn't sure since he didn't talk to her about those things.

She sighed and looked at her watch, there were still 20 minutes to go and she already felt sleepy. She had spent the previous night in Las Noches, working and dancing. It was four am when she got home, and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. The night before last was not very different, but she had the additional lack of energy due to one orange-haired writer keeping her up a few hours before school. So now she was practically dying and could sleep if she found a comfortable enough place to lean her head.

Today was the Wednesday that they were going to meet and discuss the photo shoot. Rukia had plans but had no intention of telling her _models_. She was just going to do it her way, which was different than usual fashion photography, but she was sure they would survive with Lantis as their employer. He was an open minded man who loved challenges in every way. She had met with Lantis the previous day to discuss some last minute details and when she told him about her plan, he accepted without hesitation. So today, they were going to come together and she was going to give simple information like the places and themes of the photos. And they were going to decide on the wardrobe. And of course the guys were going to meet the legendary Neliel Tu Odershvank.

That was Rukia's main problem.

She was what guys liked to call "hot mama". And Rukia knew Nel was hot, and she accepted that fact years ago when they were still having sleepovers. Of course, her sudden blossom played a huge role in it since Rukia knew her in her toothless days. Nel was actually younger than Rukia, but they had one thing in common, and that was Nel's brother Ashido, which was another subject in itself. Nel was sweet, caring, and aside from her looks, she was smart, not to mention loyal. Did she mention that Nel had big breasts? Nope… How about the ass and the legs? She sighed heavily. Now she was seeing Neliel as a threat, no matter how she tried to see her as a friend. Yes, she was her friend, and they spent countless hours in those monthly Nobel meetings, saving each other from a probably death due to excess boredom. But she couldn't help it when she thought about her working with Ichigo so closely. She knew she had told Ichigo to be professional, but right now _Rukia_ needed to be professional.

She sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Jeez, that must've been some heavy thinking, Rukia." Kaien smirked and patted her hair. She pushed his hand off and pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I can think however the hell I want!" she objected in a childish manner. He was wearing that cocky grin on his face that Rukia wanted to slap off one day.

When they were out of the classroom, Rukia immediately ran to Shinji and sent him to get the devices they needed. Her master plan was to sneak into the studio that where they were meeting and take a few photos to decide who looked better with whom. Of course, the guys were oblivious to this, but she didn't need them to know what was happening.

As she silently drove her car towards the studio, she couldn't help but wonder if anyone was there. She missed Ichigo immensely and she felt scared how fast she got attached to the man. She accepted him into her life quite easily, but she still wasn't ready for something and she was sure that Ichigo was not considering it either. The man struggled for weeks to even start dating her. And look how they were dating……

She wasn't complaining about anything, but she could use some time alone with him. She didn't have time to see him for the past two and a half days, and now she was going to put him in the same room with a blonde bimbo. Not that she was a bimbo, but she was blonde already. Rukia checked herself in the rear view mirror when she arrived and parked her car. She applied some lipstick and powder to her face, which was a little uncharacteristic of her, but she did it anyway. Nel was probably going to come wearing high heels with tight pants and a sweet smiling face. She felt sick every second that she thought about it, and she couldn't stop the jealousy gripping her heart.

Kuchiki Rukia was not jealous…ever…

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Ichigo was sitting on a wide window seat in front of the studio window, watching Renji and Shuuhei fighting over a cupcake. They looked unbelievably stupid and unmanly. He couldn't help but smirk.

"Oi, Kurosaki, I saw that!" Shuuhei yelled while stuffing the stupid cupcake into his mouth. Renji yelled and slapped him across the chest while Shuuhei started to choke on the cupcake.

"Renji, leave him alone, if he dies, Rangiku-san will kill you," Ichigo said with a cocky grin plastered on his face. He knew well that his friend was after the hot blonde. It was quite easy for an observer like himself. And the look on Shuuhei's face was worth saying it.

"What did you say?" Hisagi asked, looking shocked.

"Well it's obvious that you are pinning after that woman and I guess she is very fond of you," Ichigo smirked and added, "as a _pet_."

"Why you insolent bastard!" Hisagi jumped on him and they started to roll on the floor like a bunch of preschoolers.

"Jeez, you guys look stupid," Renji said, scratching the back of his head.

"Trust me it looks more stupid when you fight over a _cupcake_." Ichigo rose to his feet and started to smooth the invisible wrinkles on his pants. Hisagi looked at his orange haired friend and eyed him from top to bottom.

"Are you checking me out?" Ichigo asked, jokingly.

"You seem to be in a awfully good mood lately," Shuuhei said crossing his arms on his chest.

"Probably because I'm in a good mood," Ichigo answered shrugging with an amused tone still in his voice.

"Yeah, because you have Rukia?" he offered, but only gained a smack across his abdomen.

"Stay out of my private life," Ichigo warned lovingly, knowing too well that it was impossible for Hisagi.

"To be honest, I'm happy for you…I mean, you need something like that. God knows you were the most miserable son of a bitch I have ever known." Hisagi smirked standing next to the bench that Ichigo sat himself on. Renji sat next to Ichigo, too.

"Maybe if you would have introduced me to Rukia earlier, I wouldn't have ended up being the most miserable guy that you have ever known."

"I didn't say guy…" Hisagi said smirking. He knew how to get on Ichigo's nerves, and he got the glare that he was looking for.

"Seriously, why didn't you?" Ichigo asked curiously, tough he had a good guess.

"Why would I? I mean I was after her at the time and not to mention you had too much potential at that time. Besides, you would have ended up breaking her heart eventually."

"Thanks for believing in me so strongly, I'm sure it broke your heart to watch me lose myself." Ichigo smirked and punched Hisagi's arm lightly.

"Not at all," Hisagi answered with a British accent. Ichigo blinked once, then twice.

"Smooth…are you getting girls like that?" Renji asked from Ichigo's right. Hisagi grinned smugly, his stance becoming a little more arrogant.

"I actually got a British one… A girl from Rukia's Pilates class. Rukia hated her guts." He chuckled.

"And I'm sure it made every second more pleasurable… you freaking asshole." Ichigo knew his friend pretty well. It wasn't that he was a jerk or anything, but he had his moments, and like every male he had _some_ weaknesses.

"Oh yeah, it was…" he answered.

"I don't think your face will have the same expression of Rukia hears that," Renji warned knowingly.

"What she doesn't know, can't hurt her," Hisagi assured Renji.

"Yeah, but you should tell her," Ichigo advised knowingly.

"Really, how about you tell her about all the girls you've been with? Or how tall they were with those legs or the boobs?" Hisagi offered, listing the things that the current girlfriend didn't have.

"Were you checking out my girlfriends?" Ichigo asked amused, not knowing why he referred to them as his girlfriends.

"I didn't know they were your girlfriends. If I had known, I wouldn't have looked at their boobs." Ichigo blushed at Shuuhei's comment.

"Oh yeah, you always got the best in that department. Seriously, Rukia is quite a contrast to your usual taste in women," Renji added.

"What is my usual taste in women then, pray tell?"

"Umm…Risa, for one. She still thinks you're the best she's had, but wait there, I'm gonna beat you," Ichigo looked at him with big eyes, "and there is Rangiku-san. I mean first I thought you would go after her, not Rukia."

"Yeah I thought the same thing too, but then I saw the way you looked at Rukia and I thought you'd befriend her, and then pass on to Ran-chan."

"Hey, I'm not that kind of guy!" Ichigo objected.

"Yeah, you have changed!" Renji cheered and patted Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo didn't like their opinion about him. He wasn't that type of person, at least not now and not always. Suddenly a thought hit him.

"Was that what you bastard told Rukia about me?!" Ichigo was on his feet and his voice was rising.

"No, we didn't tell her anything about you," Shuuhei confessed rather dejectedly.

"I'm not like that! Just because I dated girls with big boobs doesn't mean that I'm going to…urgh!"

"Wait until you see Nel," Renji said out of nowhere.

"Oh yeah. I would definitely go after her," Hisagi said staring out of the window.

"And what's keeping you?" Renji asked arching an eyebrow.

"Rangiku," Ichigo answered for him. Shuuhei blushed and looked away.

"I didn't know I was that obvious."

"Uh-huh," Renji and Ichigo were looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Hey we were talking about you and Nel!" Hisagi objected and grabbed Ichigo by the collar.

"Jeez, I don't give a damn about her. And I don't care how big she is. I'm happy and content with my fair maiden."

"Fair maiden my ass…"

Suddenly all the heads turned towards the new voice. A very handsome looking Shiba Kaien was standing a few feet away from them with his arms crossed on his chest. Italy worked wonders on him and he looked more dashing, if possible.

"If it's not Shiba, then I'm the tooth fairy," Renji said with an amused tone, and all three men looked directly at him.

"And how would you know about that, Shiba?" Ichigo asked directly, like he usually did when he was irritated beyond imagination. However, this time, his voice had a different tone, something Hisagi had never heard in Ichigo's voice.

"Quite contrary to your belief," Kaien was pointing to Hisagi and Renji with his finger, "she had a life before she started going to public school. She came to your school as a transfer student, right?" he asked Renji. Renji thought for a few seconds and then nodded, "that means there's things in that life she had that you guys don't know about."

"And knowing that gives you perverted pleasure huh?" Ichigo asked with a cold tone. He hated Shiba's guts. He had a bad feeling whenever Kaien was around.

"Well I'm just saying that she had a life before and it was quite a different one. Just because she has small bobs for your standards doesn't mean that that's the same for everyone." Kaien smirked knowing too well that he hit a nerve.

"Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" Shuuhei asked accusingly.

"No, I was just taking perverted pleasure in knowing I'm the only guy who didn't do Yadoumaru Risa." He smiled sweetly at them, making them all sick to their stomachs.

"Yet…" Ichigo murmured.

"I heard that… I'm just hoping you will have the same resolve when you see Nel."

"Since she's noble, your noble ass probably got a piece of it, huh?" Renji said smugly.

"I don't like blondes," Kaien shrugged and turned to greet Shinji, who looked paler than a white sheet of paper. Everyone turned towards the panting man and looked at him.

"We are royally screwed," Shinji said, gulping.

"Why is that?" Hisagi asked.

"Well I heard girls were coming over," he said still panting.

"So?" Renji asked.

"Well, I know Nel-chan. She is cute but she is not the most beloved creature by her own species," Shinji added.

"How come you know her and we don't?" Renji asked.

"Tsk, tsk, I have been friends with Rukia since she was ten. Well Nel was seven back then and Ashi-…umm, anyway. I know her." He looked confused for a second.

"That confirms my suspicions. They don't know about _him_," Kaien said.

"Well, I don't think that makes a difference," Shinji said nonchalantly, and the other three in the room looked oblivious and felt alien.

"I don't care, since I'm not the one who sees her as a fair maiden," Kaien shrugged and looked over at Ichigo.

"Of course, your IQ level is higher than that," Shinji said and laughed irritatingly and then he yelled for Rukia. Ichigo wanted to grab Shinji and bash his head to the nearest wall for calling him stupid. On the other side of the room, Kaien was wearing a smirk that could outshine the devil's.

"She is not here," Hisagi pointed out.

"She is, she left hours ago." Now they were all looking at Shinji again. And then their eyes scanned the room up until the main door opened and a gorgeous blonde girl entered the room. Renji was trying hard not to stare so openly. Hisagi's jaw was on the floor and Ichigo was looking at the girl with an unreadable expression on his face.

Rukia popped up behind all the guys and they nearly jumped out of their skins. "Why Shinji, you can look. I won't tell Hiyori."

"Hi guys!" the blonde cheered and waved her hand. She really had a charming smile and a body to die for. And the sight in front of Rukia was one to behold. All four, except Kaien who was prepared for anything that could come from Nel, were scratching the backs of their heads. Renji was as red as his hair. Shuuhei was wearing a smirk but not really looking at the girl. Ichigo was staring at her quite openly and Shinji was Shinji.

"Is that it?" Ichigo suddenly asked, and everyone looked at him like he had grown a third head.

"Huh?" was all that Renji could utter.

"I guess I trusted your tastes a little too much," Ichigo said and shrugged. Aside from Kaien, everyone looked dumbfounded. Kaien, on the other hand, chuckled.

"You really know how to play it, Kurosaki," he said, shaking his head and still chuckling. Ichigo just stared at him. He turned his back and moved towards Rukia. He bent down and kissed her on the lips.

"Where have you been?" he asked her. She shrugged and turned to walk towards the table to set her things down. Ichigo followed her dutifully.

"I had things to do," Rukia answered. Truth be told, she had been there the whole time, and she heard their little _guy talk,_ which made her a little upset since it confirmed her suspicions.

"Umm, what kind of things?" Hisagi asked from the other side of the room. Rukia sent him a cold glare and shut him up. Kaien immediately guessed that she had heard them talking. They were stupid, really stupid.

"Well that's none of your _bloody_ business," Rukia answered coldly and Hisagi cringed.

"Kia nee-chan sounds _so_ hot when she talks!" Nel cheered suddenly, bouncing up and down next to a very dumbfounded Shinji.

"Oi, Nel, stop bouncing, they are going to pass out due to excess nose bleeds," Kaien warned the blonde cutie. She stopped and glared at Kaien.

"You know what, Kaien-dono? I guess you're jealous of Kia nee-chan, and you still can't get over the fact that she chose Shido-nii over you!" Nel said accusingly, she was also nodding her head like confirming her own statement. Rukia suddenly laughed and walked over to Nel, hugging her. However, it came out rather like a squeeze.

"That's the best thing you've said this morning, Nel-chan!" Rukia had tears in her eyes, still shaking with laughter. For the second time in one hour, Hisagi, Renji, and Ichigo felt like outsiders.

"Oh and before I forget, I talked to Otou-san and he said that he already talked to your Nii-sama about this year's winter break. And Shido-nii told me to do _whatever the hell it took_ to make you come to Aspen," Nel finished, looking rather exhausted from everything she had just said.

"You're going to Aspen with that shit?!" Kaien yelled from the other side, pointing his finger at Rukia accusingly, and then turned towards Ichigo and said, "You had better back me up in this if you want your _girlfriend_ untouched in the next few months." Ichigo looked at him a little surprised, since he had no freaking idea what the crazy man was talking about. The expression on his friends' face told him that they didn't have a clue about it, either.

"Shido-nii is not a shit!" Nel yelled back at Kaien.

"Oh yeah, like I don't know who he is!" Kaien yelled back.

"You don't know Shido-nii at all!" Now they were nose to nose and fuming, their faces red hot with anger.

"To hell with it, she's not going!" he said, pointing at Rukia again.

"You are not the one who decides what Kia nee-chan does!" Nel yelled back. Ichigo cringed. Was that how nobles argued? If it were Ichigo who was trying to make his point, then it would it be a completely different picture.

"Excuse me for interrupting your heated argument, but I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions, not to mention I have been spending my winter breaks and summer holidays with said person for the last few years." Rukia talked with perfect and fluent Japanese that reminded Ichigo who he was and how she was raised since her childhood. No matter what her origin was, she was still considered a noble, and sometimes, even if it was scary, she acted like one. Or rather, like her brother, the Ice King.

Of course her comment stopped both participants of the verbal war. Both stared at her with different expressions on their faces. Nel was wearing a sexy smirk, her full lips drawn into a heart melting smile. But it didn't affect Ichigo, not at all. Kaien had shock written all over his face.

"What did you say?" he asked with an unbelieving tone.

"Our families are business partners and we grew up together, of course we spend the holidays together. And stop putting things into his head," she said, gesturing her hand towards Ichigo in a soft manner, "I don't want to explain neither myself nor my actions to someone that cannot understand and accept things as they are." That should've hurt Ichigo, but it didn't, it just angered him and confused him more. She was probably right; he wasn't acting very understanding towards anything related with Rukia. For example, he was still pouting over the fact that they were going to work with Kaien and Rukia found that childish, and she had every right to. Now he got curious about that _Shido-nii_, and it was probably some sort of relationship that he was not going to comprehend due to his overprotective/possessive instincts.

"Wow, I didn't know you loved him so _much_," Kaien commented crossing his arms over his chest, "If it's like that then why the hell did he tell Nel to bring you no matter what?" he asked.

"First of all, this has nothing to do with love. And for your information, if I'm in a relationship that covered certain sensitive areas, then that means I feel enough towards that person to share those_experiences_ with. And second, Ashido probably thinks that I won't be coming since I have a boyfriend." She finished with a smug expression on her face. That should send a message to a certain someone with orange hair and a dumbfounded expression on his face about the things she couldn't say out loud and wasn't ready to say even though she felt those emotions pretty strongly.

"You told Ashido about Kurosaki?!" Kaien asked, or rather, yelled.

"Well of course, why would I not, I mean he is my friend, right?" she answered back with her own question.

"Why not? Because he'll probably run off to tell the Ice King!" he yelled back. Rukia didn't even cringe; Ichigo was touched by her strength when it came to defending her own thoughts.

"The last time I checked, Ashido nii-san was not a gossiping bitch like yourself." The answer came from the devoted sister of the mystery man. Hisagi gasped and Kaien's left eye twitched. Did that bimbo just call him a bitch and accuse him of gossiping? He turned towards her but Rukia was in front of him before he could utter a word. Her hand was on his chest which was heaving up and down due to heavy breathing.

"You are exaggerating and you can't expect people to sit and laugh at your insults towards their siblings. Get over it, Kaien. It happened in the past and Ashido paid for his dues. You think he is like that because he _wants_ you to think he's like that? You got what I mean?" Rukia was confusing the other occupants of the room more than ever but the mood immediately changed when a cheery Lantis walked into the studio.

"My crew!" he cheered rather uncharacteristically. Rukia was standing between Kaien and Nel with Shinji on their left side. Ichigo was standing next to the table Rukia had put her stuff on and Hisagi and Renji were still by the window. Lantis arched an eyebrow.

"He wasn't trying to jump on sweet Nel-chan was he?" Lantis asked accusingly.

"_Sweet_ Nel-_chan_ huh?" came Rangiku's serious voice from behind and he jumped two feet in the air.

"Jeez, it's not that I like blondes or something. She is my responsibility and I shall defend he hono-" before he could finish, Rangiku stuffed a cupcake in his mouth and walked past him with Risa and Hiyori on her tail.

"Kia-chan we brought you cupcakes!" Rangiku cheered and grabbed Rukia's arm to pull her away from Kaien who cooled down minutes ago from Lantis's stupid question. Rukia stumbled but let Rangiku drag her. Rangiku put the cupcakes on the table and tsked when she saw the previous basket empty

"Tell me, who finished those?" she asked. Her tone had the semblance of a mother accusing her son of walking into the house with muddy boots. Ichigo's hand immediately pointed to Hisagi, who shook his head frantically and pointed to Renji who immediately pointed to Shinji.

"What? I just arrived, I didn't see a cupcake around!" he whined.

"Hah, so you admit that you would eat them all if you saw them," Renji yelled, still pointing at him.

"Don't worry, Shinji, I can still see cupcake crumbs around Shuuhei's mouth," Rangiku assured the poor blonde boy knowingly.

After that, there was not much to do, but it took hours to get to the point. Rangiku, Risa, and Hiyori were there in order to check on Nel and Rukia had to assure them that Nel wouldn't make a move on their love interest. Of course, Rangiku refused to say out right that she was there for that so she chose to make three baskets of cupcakes for them to eat with coffee.

On the other hand, Nel turned out to be the _biggest_ Ichigo fan on the planet earth, and she was still sitting, clinging to his arm. Ichigo looked uncomfortable at the beginning, but then he relaxed, or rather looked like he was getting use to the antics of the girl sitting next to him. She assured him that she was going to bring his life size poster to get his signature along with a _few_ magazines that she had. She also pointed out that meeting him was like a _wet dream_. She actually used those words, but Rukia could only blame Ashido for being too blunt about sex talk with his sister. Rukia couldn't really blame Nel for having such a perverted brother.

At the end of three exhausting hours, they decided the times and places for the photo shoots, who was going to wear what kind of clothing, and who was going to pose with who (which was going to change later, but they didn't need to know that). Of course, Rukia didn't tell them about her plans and she asked Lantis not to talk about them. So when they departed in front of the studio building, Rukia could see the tired looks in her friends' eyes. She hated causing them trouble but this was a sweet kind of trouble since it was going to earn them money and a little fame along the way.

"So tomorrow at four, huh?" Kaien asked one last time to assure everyone. Rukia nodded.

"Well who would have ever thought that someone I raised with my own hands would end up so successful?" Kaien added with pride evident in his voice, but he was soon slapped by none other than Kuchiki Rukia herself.

"Don't get cocky!" she warned him, and everyone laughed. It was not everyday that you saw Shiba Kaien being beaten, even teasingly, by a girl half his size.

Ichigo's strong hand gently grabbed Rukia's small one as they bid goodbye to the others and walked down the road hand in hand.

"Did you bring your car?" Ichigo asked softly as he carried her backpack full of heavy equipment. He had no idea how she carried it around all day long.

"Actually, I did but I gave it to Shinji. You can drop me off," she said smiling and snuggling into the arm she was clinging to. The weather was getting colder as winter approached.

"OK," he said and they walked silently to his car. He opened her door and Rukia rolled her eyes at his chivalric attitude, but accepted it anyway.

"The weather is getting freaking cold!" he said as he jumped into his own seat and fastened his seat belt. He motioned to Rukia to fasten hers and she obeyed.

"Yeah, winter is coming, and I love it," Rukia said with a playful smile on her lips.

"Jezz, I don't understand why you love cold weather so much," he mumbled as he started the engine.

"Simple, I'm a winter child, I was born in winter. You probably like the summer, since you're a summer child," she claimed.

"Yeah but, how do you know about that?" Ichigo asked, a little surprised that she knew his birthday. He didn't know hers, and he felt guilty for a second.

"Contrary to your belief I read girl magazines. Actually, Ran-chan reads them and I borrow them from her when she is done with them," she said smiling.

"What do you know about me from those magazines?" he asked rather curiously. Rukia blinked and looked at him. Was he testing if she was a fan of his or was it a random question?

"Well personally, I pay attention to your books rather than your looks so I guess a few things about your writing style might be in my memory; like how you like Shakespeare and Shidou. Oh, and how you collect old books," she finished. Ichigo looked at her with huge eyes.

"So you knew what I was doing when I was taking you to see my book collection?!" he asked rather amused.

"I couldn't help but tease, it sounded so juvenile and you look so cute when you are stressed," Rukia chuckled.

"What the hell? You want to put me under stress?!" Ichigo felt wounded, slightly.

"No, it's just you scratch the back of your head and look anywhere but me. It's cute, really," Rukia assured him while showing him how he scratched the back of his head and scowled. Ichigo couldn't help but laugh as he petted her head.

"Don't do that," Rukia said rather dejectedly.

"Do what?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Pet my head…It's how Kaien shows _affection_ towards me and it scares me he you do it like that," Rukia said, turning to look out the window and watch the road.

"Sorry, I won't do it again, but I have to admit you look _cute_ when you are frustrated," he added still chuckling. Rukia blushed and smacked his arm with the back of her hand.

"You guys never grow up," she sighed and suddenly asked, rather dangerously, "Where are we going, Ichigo?"

"To my house," he answered nonchalantly.

"No way!" she yelled and pinched his leg.

"What the hell?! Don't do stupid things like that while I'm driving!" Ichigo looked at her shocked because of her childish attitude.

"We are not going to your house. To be more specific, you are dropping me of at my house, and _driving back_ to your house," she said in a dangerous tone.

"What? I haven't seen you in two and a half days and you expect me to drop you off and leave? No way!" he yelled, which somehow amused Rukia due to the fact he was acting rather childishly, or like the boy he was.

"Ichigo I'm so tired, that I'll probably pass out as soon as my head hits the pillow," she tried to reason.

"Umm…why are you saying that?"

"Well I thought…you…you know," she said and turned away, looking out, trying to cover up her blushing face, but it was too late. Ichigo already saw it.

"No, I don't know." Now it was his turn to make her feel stressed.

"Do…stuff," she said. Normally, she was not that shy when it came to this kind of thing, but she usually discussed this with girls, at least for the past few years, so she felt uncomfortable discussing it with her boyfriend. Ichigo decided to end her misery, there were going to be more times that he could make fun of her discomfort.

"Relax, that was the last thing on my mind." _Oh yah, really?_ His traitor mind was in business again.

"Really?" she asked rather unbelievingly.

"Yeah. Why? Were you thinking about _it?_" he asked teasingly.

"Of course I was." But the answer was different than he expected. OK, maybe she was not that shy. He gulped and looked at her. Was she teasing him or was she testing him?

"Well I thought that … a… couple of times too, but that doesn't mean that I will want it the moment I lay may hands on you," he tried to assure her, and she looked convinced.

"Just, you know… it's not because I don't want it, it's just that I'm very, very tired. I was at Las Noches last night and I got home at 4 am," she reasoned.

"I know."

"How?" she asked curiously.

"Umm, I was there having a couple of drink…" he murmured.

"And you didn't say hi?" she asked. He could hear the slightly hurt tone in her voice.

"It's your job and your responsibility. I don't want to cause you any problems, I just came to see you, and I saw. It's no big deal, really," he said scratching the back of his neck and he immediately stopped after he realized he was doing it.

"It is a big deal. Did it ever occur to you that I might have missed you and wanted to see you, too?" she asked, seeing the all too familiar parking line in front of her apartment.

"I'm not going to apologize for not wanting to bother you," he said rather curtly. The car was parked in front of her apartment building. Both were looking ahead.

"If you are going to look at this as a 'bother' then we are going to have serious problems in this _relationship_. Apparently your understandings and mine are different and if you consider seeing me when you wanted to as a bother to _me,_ then that means you are going to think of me wanting to see you, while you're working, as a bother."

"Your reasoning never ceases to amaze me. And I still have no idea how you manage to put words into my mouth so perfectly," he responded coldly.

"You. Are. Just. Unbelievable. Kurosaki Ichigo!" Rukia said with a frustrated sigh. They should have been making out rather than arguing, but this was Ichigo, and it had to be unbalanced due to his changing moods and distorted understanding of love and care. Seriously, who taught this guy how to act around people?

"Fine…" he snorted.

"Fine?" she asked grabbing her jacket and putting it on before getting out to the cold of the night.

"Yeah, fine…" he said, still staring ahead. Rukia shook her head and got out of the car, slamming the door and quickly walked into her apartment. Ichigo waited until she got into the apartment, then started the engine and made his way back to his house.

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**rabbit rants:** ok guys tell me what do you think. I know its been a while since I updated but I really appreciate if you review and let me know how this is going. As I said I will update regularly within 3 to 5 days, and I will let you now if something happens and I wont be able to update so regularly. Cookies for the reviewers as always:)


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** not mine!

**rabbit talks:** Ok people, here is your update! I liked the reviews and I want more. I thank everyone who reviewed and you know I replied back, it's something I like a lot, but most of you already know that since they went through reading looooong replies –_flashes a toothy grin to her readers-_ As always you are going to let me know what you think and I shall proceed according to that. I have already baked your cookies and the cookie monster is locked in a cage in my room. Thanks to our beloved Beta for editing this chapter!

Let's go and see the stars  
The milky way or even Mars  
Where it could just be ours

Let's fade into the sun  
Let your spirit fly  
Where we are one  
Just for a little fun  
Oh oh oh yeah!

_He can, She can, We can!_

The following few days were hectic and Ichigo didn't have a moment to share with Rukia, which pissed him off. It wasn't like Rukia was creating any time to spend with him; on the contrary, she was _so_ busy that she didn't have _one_ moment to spare for him. He could guess the reason of the cold shoulder but he still couldn't understand why it was so important for her. Maybe he was really that impossible, who knew?

However, those few days he made a new _friend_ who didn't leave his side even for one moment and Rukia was making it harder on him by putting them in quite awkward positions. After two days Ichigo came to admit that Nel was hot, but that was it. He didn't harbor any sort of desire for the said woman because his mind was so focused on another one. Namely Kuchiki Rukia…

_It was Friday; the second day of the shootings and Rukia looked more frustrated than ever. Ichigo seemed to not understand a word she said and he was refusing to do a few things that she told him to do. But that was his regular self. She sighed and put her camera down for few minutes in case she felt the urge to throw it at Ichigo. She pinched the bridge of her nose and felt Shinji's hand on her shoulder, giving it an assuring squeeze..._

"_OK!" she yelled suddenly towards the others, "what the hell do you want Ichigo," she asked._

"_I-What do you mean?" he asked dumbfounded._

"_I simply asked you to hug HER!! Is that so difficult to understand?!" she yelled. Ichigo cringed. He didn't know why she was being so aggressive, but he simply didn't feel comfortable around that girl. She was a _devoted_ fan and that frustrated him more. He hesitantly put his hand around her waist, but he heard Kaien's chuckle from the other side of the room. Ichigo sent him a death glare but the man just smirked knowingly. Rukia didn't seem satisfied with his action, so before he could comprehend what was happening, she was in front of him with a deadly scowl on her face._

"_You should do it like this," she said and tightened his arms around Nel's 'waist, "Please Ichigo, let's get this over with it and go home." _

_After that, he couldn't help but obey everything that she said and do everything that she ordered, even if he felt uncomfortable. Rukia continued putting them in more compromising positions than simple hugging, but that was Rukia's job and her career, he just felt like he was causing her more trouble than necessary._

The object of his anger, desire, passion etc. was chatting animatedly with Shinji about something that no one knew of. At the beginning everything seemed normal, but now Ichigo knew that something was awfully wrong. Kaien was irritated too, but he was trying hard not to show it on his face. There was a cold war between Shiba and Nel and she looked like she had the upper hand, which of course amused Ichigo to no end. Rukia restricted Kaien's comments on what they were doing and truth be told, they didn't look like they were doing so many things.

Actually, Rukia looked like she was not paying enough attention to the work at hand. She was coming late to the meetings and they were doing very little work together, but somehow they, Rukia and Shinji, were busy. And Lantis looked fine with it. Ichigo didn't understand any of it, and he was sure that no one knew what was going on. Personally, he didn't care what was going on as long as it finished and he had time with his girlfriend. They hadn't seen each other, aside from the time that they spent in the studio for the past five and a half days, excluding those two and a half days before the car ride to her house. Ichigo realized the first day that he missed Rukia terribly when they were away from each other. Rukia was not making it easier on him either, especially after that night.

Ichigo sighed and looked over at her but his eyes caught a glimpse of Nel running towards him with a basket in her hands. When she came closer he realized that it was Rangiku-san's cupcakes. He was scared to eat more than one, but Shuuhei seemed like he didn't care as long as Rangiku was ranting. Ichigo guessed that Shuuhei really liked that sort of torture.

"Ichigoooo. I brought you cupcakes!" Nel cheered and sat down next to Ichigo, giving him a cupcake. He felt like he was going to gain weight if he didn't stop eating those, but he didn't want to break her heart so he reluctantly stuffed one into his mouth.

"Thanks Nel," he said, and the girl nodded cheerfully while taking a bite from her cupcake. She was a cheerful cute girl who reminded him a little bit of Orihime, but she looked less naïve than Orihime so it was more dangerous. It's not that he thought she would do anything, but he felt frustrated anyway. Maybe he was just being paranoid and the life sized poster that she brought yesterday had a role in it.

"So Nee-san is giving you a hard time, huh?" Nel asked while chewing on her cake. Ichigo tried to swallow the cake that was stuck in his throat. The girl was perceptive, he would give her that. And if he could use his skills on her, then he could _persuade_ her to help him with Rukia.

"Umm…yeah," he answered simply trying to make her a little more curious about the issue.

"You must have pissed her off very much," she said happily. Ichigo cringed and couldn't understand why she was so happy about that, but she got the bait.

"I guess so," he answered dejectedly and bowed his head, but he was still watching Rukia behind his bangs. She was looking at some photos on her laptop with Shinji and the said boy was nibbling on a cookie but Ichigo didn't know where he found that.

"Well it's pretty hard to piss her off since she grew up with Shido-nii. He is not the most beloved person around and he has an attitude problem according to most people," she reasoned. Now she was talking!

To be honest, that _Shido-nii_ issue was eating him alive, but he couldn't bring that subject up to Rukia; first because he didn't want her to think that he was a child getting worked up over small things, and second Kaien was _still_ a fragile subject between them, which they didn't bring up since the last time.

"I don't know anything about your Shido-nii and I highly doubt anyone in here, except Kaien, knows about him," he said apologetically. He could win freaking Oscars with the act he was putting. The girl was either dying to talk, or had no idea how she was being lead since she was talking so willingly.

"You better not. I mean he would hate you not to mention he hates Kaien-dono," she mumbled getting another bite from her cake. Now that was getting interesting.

"Why do you call him Kaien-dono?" he couldn't help but ask. She had been calling him that since the very first day, and he didn't know why. Was it because he had a higher rank in that noble hierarchy?

"He was the head of the student council when I first attended the school, and we used to call him Kaien-dono back then, I guess it stuck." Oh now that explained it. Ichigo couldn't think of Kaien as the head of the student council. He probably had his own fan girl club at the school.

"Well, Rukia calls him Kaien." He tried to get a little more detail about the Rukia side of the story. If he could make her talk a little more, then he was sure that he would cover the basics on Rukia 101.

"His relationship with Kia Nee-chan is different. It has always been bumpy though no one really knows why." Ichigo didn't know it either and he felt slightly confused by what she meant by 'bumpy'.

"It's probably something you know." He made a guess and he was right in guessing such a thing.

"Kaien-dono's girlfriend was in Kia Nee-chan's class. And by the time Kia-nee started to feel attracted to Kaien-dono, she was actually dating my brother." At this Ichigo spewed out all the coffee in his mouth, but Nel took out a napkin and gave it to him calmly. Ichigo blinked at her and then mumbled a 'thank you'.

"I thought Renji was her first boyfriend," he said. Nel laughed.

"Well no, when it comes to firsts, Shido-nii sets the records for Kia-nee. Their relationship was like 'if you show me yours, I will show you mine' and both are stubborn people who loved challenges and it has been like that since forever," she answered nonchalantly, like she was talking about the weather. That caused Ichigo to feel a little bit uncomfortable with his relationship with Rukia. It wasn't like he was jealous but he just…felt something stirring inside of him and it was an unsettling feeling.

"Yeah I guess he wouldn't want to share Rukia, huh?" Ichigo reasoned but he didn't feel comfortable with his own reasoning either.

"Nah, he is not going to. He has a special place in her heart, I know that, and it doesn't really matter as long as they stay together. But I highly doubt Kia-nee would want Shido-nii near her kids." She laughed and finished her story which was listened to by Ichigo in a shocked state. Why didn't she tell him about Ashido before? But more importantly, why didn't she tell other guys about him? Shuuhei was a close friend and she dated Renji, right?

"He definitely sounds like someone crazy," Ichigo commented on Nel's explanation.

"Oh, he is. I guess you will meet him during the winter break because there is no way he would let Kia-nee stay here," she said, again too cheerfully for Ichigo's taste. He didn't want Rukia to go anywhere during the winter break because that was the only time that they would have to themselves. He was planning to take her on a little trip to Italy, of course some place that Kaien couldn't come, since he knew that she'd wanted to see Italy for a long time.

"Well you said he wouldn't like me." Ichigo was sure he hated him even before knowing him.

"He will eventually. And he will start to love you if Byakuya-sama hates you," Nel assured him softly and put her hand on his.

"Why is that?" he asked curiously.

"That's another story, but to put it simply, he hates her brother, so if the man hates you, Shido-nii will love you," she reasoned simple mindedly. So it was like the 'enemy of my enemy is my friend,' but the thing was, Ichigo didn't want Kuchiki Byakuya to hate him.

"So Nel, tell me more about your family. I like listening to others' stories, you know," he said crossing his arms over his chest and listened to the blonde girl talking animatedly about her brother and 'evil' mother…

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Rukia was watching the pair intently and trying to find the perfect time to take a few shots. The catalogue turned out to be an amazing piece of work, or course with Shinji's enormous help, because God knew that she couldn't handle these maniacs on her own. Each and every one of them was a challenging person, and to be honest, they were not the perfect models. So Rukia, knowing their incompetence, decided to go with the flow and took drastic measures in the sense of fashion photography. Normally, fashion photography was something that was planned until every little detail was covered, the lights, the background and the poses. But this was a different type of catalogue and she persuaded the heads of the GAP saying that her theme was in complete sync with their Brand motto.

To cut it short, Kuchiki Rukia started to photograph these people in their natural environment. She was leaving them to themselves and shooting their photos at the right time. Truth be told, it was hard, but it came out very good. Kaien was angry with her since he thought that she was neglecting her duties. He didn't know that she was shooting their photos all the time while they were thinking she was late to their meetings. She didn't mind creating that sort of an inspiration. She just wanted to be there to see his face when he received the catalogue. She smirked evilly.

"You don't mind Ichigo being too cozy with Nel?" Shinji asked while looking at the photos on her laptop. He slowly showed her the screen and both looked a little more carefully and smiled.

"Nope, I know her boyfriend and I know for a fact that she wouldn't go after what is mine," Rukia replied and transferred the photo to the main file. It was a photo of Shuuhei, Renji and Kaien. They were laughing at something that Kaien said, Kaien was scratching the back of his neck, and Shuuhei was pointing at Renji who was trying hard to not laugh. Rukia wondered how none of them realized what was going on. She was making them change their clothes whenever she wanted them to change, even when she was _late _for their meeting. Surely one of them should question why they were changing clothes when the photographer was not here. She shrugged.

"How can you be so sure? What if he is attracted to her?" Shinji asked rather irritated with her complete trust in Ichigo, "I mean you were the one who told me that he used to be with tall hot chicks with big boobs!" he ranted.

"Well I don't care right now, seriously Shinji, you sound like you are the one that is dating Ichigo," she said and grabbed her camera. Ichigo and Nel were laughing at something and they looked quite good together, natural and comfortable. She just clicked the shutter release and took a few poses. They would decide which ones would make into the file later.

Shinji sighed and took another cookie. When it came to cookies, Rukia was the queen. He didn't know how she managed to bake such amazing cookies when she couldn't even boil water without burning the pot. But he guessed that pastry was her area in the kitchen. He couldn't help but giggle.

"What the hell? Why are you giggling like a girl?" Rukia asked pinching his arm. His face immediately turned into a pained expression.

"Jeez, I guess you have been spending so much time with Mr. Testosterone that you forgot that I could giggle, like _you,_" he said teasing Rukia. Of course, that only earned him a hard glare and a swift kick in the shin; he loved this girl and who she was.

"It's just that it's like a miracle that you can actually bake," he murmured and she hit his chest with the back of her hand as she started to walk towards others.

"OK people! We're done, you can go!" she said in a rather loud voice. But Kaien didn't take it as good news like everyone did.

"What the hell, we didn't do anything!" he objected and everyone stopped.

"Well that's what you think," Rukia answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Rukia seriously, I have the feeling that you are not taking it seriously. Why don't you let me have a look at what you have done so far? I'm sure we can come up with something," Kaien offered softly. But Rukia was tapping her foot angrily.

"This is _my_ thing," she started pointing her finger to herself, "and it has nothing to do with what you are thinking, that's for one. And for two, if Lantis, who is the boss, is not saying anything, then there is no word left for you to say. Do you really want me to follow your shadow? Do you really trust me _that much_?" she finished with hurt evident in her tone.

"No, no of course not! Why would you think that? You always have your own way to do things and…" Kaien looked at the girl, no woman, in front of him and sighed. She was right, he couldn't order her around like he used to but that made him feel bad. Because that was the only way that he could bond with Kuchiki Rukia and he hated losing the fortress.

"Then leave it to me," she said and turned her back to them to meet with Lantis and Shinji in the dark room. But when she left there was an unsettling silence in the studio. Today they started the shootings very early, even before the sun rose and it was the fifth day of the shootings. Kaien felt really exhausted because he didn't think that he was going to find himself modeling for something stupid like that. He was a photographer, but he couldn't deny Rukia when she asked him to do it. But now, now he felt useless. He was supposed to be there and help his pupil, his assistant. Instead, he was standing there with a bunch of idiots who called themselves friends. He really didn't understand Rukia, and her weird affection towards these guys. If only she could see that he was trying to be there for her, help her, and be with her. But she wasn't and she was probably too blinded by the _love_ that she felt for that orange haired man.

He doubted that they would last long because there was no way in hell that this man could understand Rukia. He was just a problematic boy who had no idea what to do with the opportunities in his hand. What scared Kaien most was that Ichigo might cause her to lose her interest in what she was doing, or worse, reawaken her love and desire for writing. He didn't want that, they were going to be colleagues later in the business and he really was looking forward to working with Rukia. Besides, there was no way in hell that Byakuya would let her be with that boy forever. She was noble and she had to end up with a noble which could only be two people according to their ranking and age in the noble world. That was either Kaien or Ashido and Kaien highly doubted that Byakuya would give Rukia to Ashido. There was a blood feud between the boy and the man. But he had to give Ashido credit for what he said, he either had balls or was just plain stupid. But he had the status of a hero in Rukia's eyes; she usually called him 'my knight in shining _black_ armor'.

"Why do you keep pestering her with that?" he heard the orange haired bastard talking to him, but there was some certain softness in his voice that he had never heard before. Not that he talked to him that much, mind you. He slowly turned and looked over at the man whose hands were stuffed in his pockets. He was still wearing the brown denim trousers that hung low on his waist and the grey shirt with velvet textured brown GAP logo on it. He looked concerned and genuine.

"I just want her to be the best. You know there are not many people who care and work for her success," Kaien answered Ichigo's question.

"It seemed to me that you were trying to hold onto her. Just leave her be, we all care about her and she is not a person to be pressured and stuff. She is way too independent for that," Ichigo said with warning in his tone.

"Look, I don't care how you screwed up again, but you can't make peace with her by talking down on me," he said crossing his arms over his chest. He hated the writer boy simply because he was an insistent son of a bitch who didn't know where to stop. But he knew little truth about the man that was facing him with a feral frown on his face.

Ichigo was trying really hard to suppress his anger. The beast in his chest was awakened and it wanted to be sated, but with blood this time. He didn't give a flying fuck what would happen if he punched Shiba Fucking Kaien right in the face. He simply stood there and imagined that moment which helped keep him under control. Hisagi was right, sometimes the feeling was too tempting, just to know what he could do and get away with it. But he couldn't, Rukia wouldn't talk to him. So he just gritted his teeth and clenched and unclenched his fists in his pockets.

Rukia chose that moment to come out of the room with a shining smile on her face and the guys were distracted. Or rather, they let it go since they didn't want Rukia to get suspicious.

"OK guys, we can go," she cheered and grabbed her things and jacket. Ichigo walked to her slowly.

"What are you going to do tonight?" he asked softly with a hopeful look in his eyes. He thought maybe they could have dinner together so that he would have the chance to spend sometime with her.

"Las Noches as usual," she frowned at the jacket that she was holding in her arms. She would like to spend the night with Ichigo rather than being in that over crowded club, but she didn't have much choice if she wanted to survive on her own. When she looked up she saw Ichigo frowning deeper than ever.

"Does that mean that I won't be able to see you until the weekend? We couldn't even spend an hour together last weekend and you only have weekends," he ranted leaning against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. That moment Rukia looked at him longingly. She really missed being in his arms, simply lying down and doing nothing. Not that they could lie without doing _anything_, but she simply missed his presence.

"Just hold on, this will be over by Thursday and we could do whatever you want," she said apologetically and reached over to caress his arm. Ichigo's hand immediately closed over hers and he pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly to his chest. He inhaled her scent which calmed him to no end but also excited him in a different way. If they couldn't be together during weekdays, he had to find a solution to that, right? And he already had a plan…

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Rukia was trying to find her pink cashmere strapless in her drawers. She had been looking for at least twenty minutes and she could feel that she was late already. She came home just and hour ago and took Chappy out before she took a quick shower and straightened her hair. She had her low-rise skinny jeans on with her pink suede high-heeled shoes but she still couldn't find the top and with the weather getting cold, it was becoming slightly irritating to walk around with a strapless bra to cover your upper body. She sighed and started to go through her wardrobe once more. But just she was about to look over where she stuffed her sweaters when her doorbell rang.

She walked over wondering who that might be and slightly opened the door to see who it was. Ichigo was standing with a black shirt and grey cargo pants in front of her door. She unlocked the door completely and opened it to take her boyfriend in and saw his eyebrow arching elegantly.

"I hope that's not your usual home attire in which you welcome your guests," he said pointing at her half naked form. She rolled her eyes, grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.

"Nope, but I wasn't expecting anyone. Why are you here? I told you that I have to go to Las Noches," she said as she continued to walk towards her wardrobe with Ichigo on her tail. As she started to look Ichigo joined her in her search.

"What are we looking for?" he asked.

"A pink cashmere strapless," she answered as she dug through her drawer. Suddenly she saw Ichigo holding the strapless in his hands, with a knowing smirk plastered on his face.

"Looking for this?" he asked smugly. Rukia reached and grabbed the cloth from his hands and put it on.

"You still haven't told me why you are here," she insisted as she fixed the top. She then looked at her hair and combed it with her fingers after putting the cashmere on. Ichigo was watching her intently with his piercing hazel eyes. He liked watching her; he liked looking at her any time of the day, no matter what she was doing. And to be honest, seeing her half naked didn't help him, not to mention seeing her wearing that cute pink thing, no that he liked pink, but it somehow went well with the tone of her skin.

"Well I'm coming to Las Noches," he said coolly while stuffing his hands into his pockets. Rukia froze and then slowly lowered her hands from her hair and turned her body towards Ichigo.

"I guess I over-reacted a little that day, but I don't want you think that you are some kind of burden to me, or that seeing you or being with you will cause me problems. I don't know why you are so obsessed with the idea of _protecting_ me from yourself Ichigo. It's not like you corrupt everything you touch or something and all I'm saying is that when you act, you have to take other people's feelings into consideration," she finished with a sigh and slightly apologetic look on her face. She didn't want to push him away, they were beyond that somehow. She believed that they had to be more open with each other and listen and even understand.

"I don't know…I just can't bear the idea of you having some trouble because of me. And don't get ideas like that again, you won't bother me at any level even if I'm drowning in work, which I will never be," he reasoned softly and reached his hand to hold her arm and pull her to him, "and by the way I have a new job," he finished as his finger trailed a path starting from her collarbone to her neck.

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously, rather taken aback by the sudden and unexpected news. He smiled mischievously and bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Meet the new bartender of Las Noches," was all he said with a smug tone in his voice. Rukia's jaw dropped …

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**rabbit rants:** that Ichigo is going to kill me! I mean he is a little crazy if you ask me, but the canon version is like that too since he went and turned heaven upside down. Crazy, crazy boy! And Ashido, hmmm…what might be the reason of the _feud_ between Nii-sama and Ashido? For what Kaien gives him the credit for? And what do you guys think about Kaien? I mean he started to smell a little fishy and he sounds too competitive for our taste, ne? What will happen next?


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:**not mine, not mine…

**rabbit's note:** Guys I know that I have taken a lot of time with that and I'm sure you will be disappointed but I want you guys to read between the lines and try to see something that I have been trying to tell in many ways. This chapter is like filler but it has great importance on some levels for understanding the development of plot and the interrelation between the characters, so bare with me. Thanks a lot to my beloved beta** smilie09** for editing this! Read and review. I wanna see your reviews so that I know where you are, what you want and how you feel about the story.

'_Us' in Every Sense_

As Rukia opened her eyes to the unpleasant sunlight, she couldn't help but sigh deeply. There was one little thing about Ichigo's bed that she hated with a passion and it was the skylight. Truth be told, she hated and loved the thing at the same time. It was bothersome in the morning but it was the most magnificent thing that you could have in a house at night. You could lie down and watch the stars shining above you in a clear night. She remembered that last night was one of those bright nights with lots of stars. Since winter was upon them the night sky was clear because of the dry cold of winter nights. After such nights she didn't want to get out of bed, she just wanted to lay there with Ichigo softly snoring next to her. She loved his house as much as her own house, sometimes even more because she had more things in here that connected her to her past. For example, she liked watching Ichigo while he was typing. It reminded her of her childhood. She liked it even more when his fingers were painted with ink because of following the lines, which he previously wrote, with his fingers. She liked him when he sat in front of that typewriter and separated himself from the outer world. She loved him more for who he was and how he made her feel at home. She never called anywhere home since the death of her parents. She smiled softly. She was happy, very happy indeed.

As she realized that minutes were passing by, she remembered that she had other things to do, like going to school. She groaned and tried to move her limbs but that was technically impossible when a man two times heavier than her was lying on top of her. She sighed again and turned her head to look at the clock on his nightstand. She had exactly 92 minutes 38 seconds to her first class of the day and Ichigo looked nowhere near awaking, the puff of air form his soft breathing was hitting her face and giving her goose bumps.

She hated waking him up because she knew he was tired. He had been working as the bartender of Las Noches for the last two weeks and soon he became a sought after person. Rukia wasn't sure if it was because he was hot or simply because he was a good bartender. He turned out to have a knack for mixing and creating stuff; Hisagi _trained _him only for a day and said that he was natural. So now they were cheering the _ladies_, which Rukia detested, and helping them, Rukia and the girls, for closing up the place for the night. They were arriving at home near 3:30 in the morning and sleeping until her first class. She didn't get why Ichigo was torturing himself with such slavery. He could simply come and enjoy himself during the night, like Hitsugaya Toushiro did. But oh no! he had to go and out do himself, or in a sense, prove that he was capable of something, which Rukia had no idea.

She looked down at the softly snoring man, lying and probably drooling, down on her shoulder. Somehow Ichigo had the impression that he could use her as a teddy bear. If only Rukia didn't know, she could swear that he had a soft spot for those things when he was a kid, and he liked to cuddle up with a brown teddy bear who he named after a cartoon character or something. She moved her arms around his shoulders and hugged his broad shoulders tightly, snuggling. His arms tightened around her instinctively and his unshaven cheek rubbed the delicate skin of her chest as he shifted on her, tickling it slightly. She giggled and started to caress the soft hair at the back of his neck and then combed it gently with her small fingers. She liked his hair, it was always soft and it smelled good. She loved doing that but those were rare and precious moments because Ichigo hated her 'petting' him like he was a terrier, or worse, like Chappy. But she knew that he was enjoying it, though he never wanted to admit.

She turned her head and tenderly looked down at the floor to see her little boy lying and slightly snoring like the man who was right on top of her. Men were men, either dog or human, they were the same. But she was glad that Chappy didn't try and trash Ichigo's cozy and expensive furniture, it was good that he was not jealous of Ichigo but Ichigo was still uncomfortable about letting Chappy in his room. He claimed that the dog looked at him like he was doing something bad, which he was in Chappy's eyes, he was _doing_ his mistress; and also claimed that he didn't like to be watched while he was having his way with her. It wasn't that Chappy was staring at them; it was just Ichigo's imagination. He was only blaming her beloved dog because he chewed Ichigo's favorite socks last week. She couldn't help but giggle again, a little louder than the last time but this time it caused Ichigo to groan deep in his throat. She glanced over the clock only to see that it was time to wake the orange haired beast. They would take Chappy with them to the campus and Ichigo would take Chappy for a walk in the campus. There were lots of green areas for her boy to poop. She gazed lovingly at her still snoring dog once before she nudged Ichigo in the arm.

"Ichigo….Ichigo wake up…" she whispered but the only thing she got for an answer was the tightening of his arms. If he kept doing that she wouldn't be able to breathe anymore. She started to shake Ichigo as hard as possible. But since the bastard was lying on top of her, it was nearly impossible for her to move and her strength was no match for him.

"Ichigo you idiot I have one hour left before class starts!" she said, her voice rising. She shook him again but decided to pinch him when she couldn't get a proper response. His Neanderthal side was on the surface today. As a last resort she pinched him, not too hard, and he groaned.

"Five more minutes!" he said, but Rukia was already trying to get away from him.

"Damn it Ichigo, at least let me move! You can have all the sleep you want…" she told him. He rolled on his side, letting her go. She just moved his crumpled sheets and let herself out. The moment her feet touched the floor Chappy woke up and gave himself a shake. Rukia smiled at her dog and petted him a little before she started her morning ritual. Her real morning ritual started with petting Chappy so it was not something new. She scratched behind his ears and the dog licked her hands and cheek. She giggled and hugged her dog. He was so soft! She then lifted herself up and walked towards the bathroom to take a quick shower, she glanced over at Ichigo to see him snoring softly again. She shook her head with disapproval before she dived into the huge bathroom and closed the door behind her.

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Ichigo cracked an eye open when he heard the sound of running water from his shower. He groaned and turned on his side only to come face to face with the dog that had the foulest morning breath, actually his breath was awful at anytime of the day. Ichigo groaned again, putting his arm over his eyes. He just wanted to stay in bed, preferably all day. But no, he couldn't, he had to take princess Kuchiki to her school. Though he tortured her for that, he secretly took pleasure in taking her to school. He didn't know why a man would take pleasure in doing such a tedious task. Who would drive his girlfriend to school after a few hours of sleep? Kurosaki Ichigo! Though he hated to be the object of attention when they were there, he still didn't like Rukia taking a cab, especially at early hours in the morning, she was not going to take a cab when he could drive her to her precious school. Why wasn't she driving her dreamy mustang? Because Ichigo was the one who took her from school to Las Noches, then from Las Noches to his house. They barely went to Rukia's house. He didn't know why but she had some sort of fascination with his house, and he wasn't complaining because he loved his bed (hers was good too, but his was his).

It had been ten days since they got rid of Shiba Kaien and thankfully the bastard didn't try to pull anything funny. He just came and left. And this time he made sure that he was at the airport with them too so that Kaien wouldn't do something silly like kissing Rukia… again. And also he had been working in Las Noches for the past two weeks but he got used to it sooner than he thought he would. He was enjoying now, working with Hisagi behind the bar and Hisagi said that he was natural when it came to bartending. Oh and they were also popular among girls for being the hottest guys in the club. Ichigo secretly enjoyed that, though he would never look at those girls when he had someone like Rukia.

The only problem was that Rukia didn't have time for him. It was annoying enough to have a girlfriend who was dedicated to her work more than she was dedicated to her boyfriend. Sometimes he thought she loved photography more than she loved him. That was another issue. Love...He knew it was too early to say anything and besides he thought he didn't need to use words because then the real meaning of the word would be confined, restrained with the letters L O V E. But that wasn't the case. He didn't want his emotions to be minimized under a four letter word because it would just be limited, useless, losing its meaning. He knew it; he knew it because he was the creator of the worlds that were ruled by words. He was the god of his books, the solely creator of his characters and the rightful owner of them, he wrote the things that they would do along with making them say the proper things. But was it real? No, they were books, and words belonged to books, not to real life. Not to a place where you can bring a whole new level to the understanding of the words, where you can redefine everything. To his luck Rukia knew his inner thoughts somehow. She was the daughter of a really talented writer and she had the insight of a writer, the instincts, the observer nature and the analytic eye among with a deep and complex emotional world. That's why Ichigo believed that they belonged together. They understood each other in a way that no other could, they were complementing each other and they knew what they meant without using the words. For them, words belonged to another world where emotions could be _explained,_ but the whole point was the experience, not the explanation.

He silently petted the beast with four foot and foul breath before he threw his covers off and took himself out of his warm bed. He slowly walked towards the bathroom where Rukia was probably taking a shower, thinking that Ichigo was still snoring and probably drooling on his bed. Well he had a surprise for her…

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Rukia carefully got out of the shower, her hair in a haphazard bun, a strand of hair here and there, but still dry. She huffed and tried to wipe the steam on the mirror with the towel in her hand. She took her toothbrush which Ichigo bought for her and started to put some toothpaste on it. But before she could start brushing she was startled by two strong arms hugging her from behind.

When she looked at the reflection in the mirror, she saw her orange-haired lover kissing her neck with full concentration. She couldn't help but giggle, because his stubble tickled her.

"Ichigo!" she tried to yell at him but her giggles turned into full blown laughter and within seconds she was turned around and their bodies were in full proximity. She circled her arms around his neck and tiptoed to kiss his cheek. And as he hugged her to himself tighter she shifted her arms and cupped his face with her small hands as she started kissing his eyes, cheeks and lips slowly and softly.

Ichigo always felt lost when she did that and he knew that she was aware of her affect on him. He liked to be treated softly in the morning and aside from her touch her skin was soft enough to drive him crazy. He rubbed his cheek to hers as she continued her soft exploration.

"It tickles Ichigo…" she said between giggles and kisses. Ichigo groaned and then crushed his lips to hers. The kiss was passionate yet gentle. His tongue pushed against hers softly as they caressed each other. He loved kissing her as the first thing in the morning and last thing at night. For example last night they made out for hours under the bright night sky, before passing out due to tiredness.

She buried her hand in his hair as its twin circled his shoulder to support her weight, not that she needed when she was in that strong embrace but she did it anyway. She couldn't help but moan lightly as he sucked on her lower lip and squeezed her ass. She didn't want to end it, but she knew that this could turn into something which would keep them for hours, causing her to miss her class. Like last week on Wednesday when he cornered her in the kitchen while she was trying to have a cup of coffee. His poor refrigerator suffered a great damage, not to mention her back ached for few days.

She gently pushed him but he didn't get the hint or he simply ignored because his tongue was too busy to let hers go if she wanted to say anything. So she chose the best next option and pulled his hair…hard.

"What the hell?!" he stumbled but didn't let her go.

"I'm going to be late if you won't stop this!" she answered, still trying to get out of his embrace.

"Do you really have to go to school today?" he asked like a whining preschooler. She rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder.

"Of course idiot. Next week my finals are starting so I have to attend the last classes." She reasoned even if she knew he didn't care. He just wanted her to be there with him 24/7 but she had a life too and she had her own responsibilities. Finally he let her go after kissing her softly one last time and dived into the shower.

"Can you take out something for me too?" He asked and she said yes adding that he needed to hurry, before leaving the bathroom.

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Though he whined a lot, Rukia knew he liked to drive her to school. She guessed that it was giving him some sort of comfort to know that he put her there with his hands and took her there again with his hands. So he was always there when she was in the outside world. Rukia thought that sometimes he was passing the borders of protectiveness. But that was Ichigo and his mind would be at ease as long as he did things in his own way. And now that was driving her to Todai campus.

"Oh my, can't we just brush his teeth or something?" Ichigo asked, nearly groaning. Chappy was breathing down his neck from the back seat, "seriously I can't concentrate when he does that," he added and tried to push Chappy's head towards Rukia.

"Don't push my boy!" she warned with a cute tone, making a puppy face.

"You know that he is _our_ boy since he lives with us," Ichigo reasoned while he changed down the gear and checked his review mirror before he turned the corner.

"Well I know that but you continuously push him away, seriously if you don't want him to stay then we can go to my house," she offered. Ichigo turned and looked at her like she grew a third head.

"What the hell? I love the beast; I just don't like him when he sits at the edge of our bed and watch intently. It feels like getting caught on business by your kid!"

"Now that's not the same thing!" she argued.

"Trust me when you call him _son,_ it gives me the creeps. And I swear he understands! We are not freaking Discovery channel!!" he nearly yelled. Rukia liked him and wanted to hug him when get worked up over nothing. And this was nothing since Chappy was an over-intelligent dog who started to sleep in the living room, on the couch and went upstairs to their room only _after _all the noise was gone. Yup, he was indeed brilliant.

"He is sleeping on the couch, he learned. Of course I would learn too if my master gave me the cold shoulder and yelled at me and ignored me just because I happen to enjoy chewing socks!" she yelled back at him.

"But it was my favorite!!" he roared and then blinked when he heard giggled from the passenger seat. He turned and looked only to see a Rukia whose giggling was turning into full blown laughter.

"You are so cute!" she exclaimed. His left eye twitched. No one could call him _cute_, no one…except Rukia. He sighed and took out his ID as they neared the gates of the school. The guards knew him very well by now. The wife of one of them was a fan of his and he signed a few books for her when the man brought the books and asked him. Then he learned that it made his wife so happy that she cooked him his favorite meal and…well he didn't want to know the rest so he pretended like he had to go to an urgent meeting with his publisher.

"Oh and stop frowning just because I called you cute!" she said and slapped his arm playfully. He drove past the guards waving at them, without leaving ID he could enter the school. He parked his car in front of her department.

"I'm not frowning!" he was pouting now. She reached and grabbed his face to turn it towards her. They were looking at each other in the eyes.

"Will you give Chappy a tour of the school? He needs to poop," she said cutely. His hand reached and grabbed her neck to pull her towards him. He kissed her like there was no tomorrow but that joyous moment was interrupted by the hot tongue he felt on his cheek. He nearly jumped with that and he held himself not to yell at the beast.

"He is right, I'm getting late," she reasoned and kissed him one last time on the lips.

"When do you want me to come back and take you?" Ichigo asked softly while patting her hair down which was a little disheveled from his previous ministrations. And his hand slid down to cup her cheek softly.

"Don't you have the meeting with that interviewer from Glory today? I can come home on my own, don't worry about me," she said rubbing her cheek in his hand.

"If it finishes early I will call you ok?" he asked and she nodded before she turned and opened the door to left him sitting in the car with her dog breathing on his face.

"You are going to be the death of me boy," Ichigo sighed waving his hand in front of his face to push the smell away. He turned and started the engine and decided to take Chappy for a walk in somewhere different. They could buy bagels and eat them in the park. Today was going to be a tiring day for him since he had to deal with a fan girl who happened to come over his house for the interview.

He sighed and drove out of the gate as he waved, for the second time, at the guards.

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**rabbit rants: **well I know you guys were expecting a Las Noches scene but that will be in the next chapter. It's not going to be big or something, just to tell you how things are working out on that side of the story. And we are going to have the grand entrance of a long waited character. Can I have the drum rolls? Besides I'm not going to bore you with the whole interview but we are going to have flashbacks from the interview since Ichigo inserts his foot in his mouth. Are you still with me?


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: ** not mine….

**Note to my dear readers: ** this time I didn't want to take long. I only had two scenes left by the time I posted the previous chapter but I updated my other story "If You Forget Me" so this took me longer than I planned. This is unedited, I will send it to my beta soon. I just wanted you guys to get it sooner. Reviews are appreciated as you know, cookies!

"Little duck, little duck, dost thou see,  
Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee?  
There's never a plank, or bridge in sight,  
Take us across on thy back so white."

_This Is Gretel, please meet Hansel!_

Ichigo parked his silver TT out of Rukia's department and got out of the car. He was dressed in canvas cargo pants and a black coat that covered his upper body nicely. The past two weeks, after the interview and her last class of fall semester, were a blur for him. His beloved girlfriend was having her last final today and she turned life into a living hell for him during that two week period. She was more moody than an average pregnant woman, not that he saw any but he read about the 'myth of pregnant woman' in books and saw it on TV. He didn't want to think Rukia's possible future pregnancy. If the midget was torturing him because of having some freaking finals, then he didn't want to know what she might do if she carried his child. Not that it was in their nearest future, but that day would come eventually, and probably unfortunately.

He pushed the heavy glass-metal doors of her department to let himself in. By now every person in her department knew who he was and why he was visiting _Kuchiki-san_ nearly everyday. It wasn't that he was coming to school everyday but he was just dropping her off and taking her, _nearly_ everyday. And for the past two weeks they didn't even stop by Las Noches. Sometimes Ichigo thought Rukia was a little too devoted to her school and too passionate about her duties as _representative _assistant, filling Kaien's place.

As he walked over to the cafeteria he waved at some girls who took it their business to cheer for him every time he entered the building and it was good, of course only for a few days. After that he started to wave back to shut them up. He didn't like that much attention anyway. Oh boy but he was going to get attention. He didn't know where his mind was when he was giving that interview two weeks ago.

_When his door bell rang Ichigo slowly rose form his chair, which was strategically positioned in front of his typewriter, and walked towards the door. When he opened it, he couldn't help but swallow. There was a girl with purple hair and hazel eyes, standing in front of his door with a super-happy smile on her face. She immediately jumped into his house, without the invitation, and grabbed his hand. He was expecting her to shake his hand but he didn't see that bone crushing hug coming from such a…slim girl. Ichigo felt like it took hours for her to let him go and the growls that the girl was getting from Chappy were indicating that it was indeed too long for a normal hug. When Chappy barked, once, she let him go and waved at the dog, which, Ichigo swore, sneered back at her._

"_Hi, I'm Senna!" the girl cheered, again letting herself in, but this time into his living room. She happily sat on his couch and bounced a little on it which irked Ichigo to no end. In the end he chose to clear his throat to get her attention._

"_Oh I'm so sorry! I'm the writer of "Hottie of the month" part in Glory! I'm here for the interview that you are going to give," she said jumping off the couch and clasping her hands in front of her. Ichigo thought she was too lively for her own good and added a mental note to threaten Soi-Fong for slaughtering her beloved cat next time if she tried to pull a shit like that on him. _

_He nervously smiled and sat himself as far as he could, which was the armchair. Chappy sat next to him, throwing daggers at the Senna girl. Ichigo would cook him a rare steak for tonight's meal for his help, of course without Rukia's knowledge. She would kill him for feeding her dog with rare steak, but they were men and men liked their steak…well anyway you got the idea._

"_So where do we start?" Ichigo asked as coolly as he could. She smiled and took out a thick notebook and opened it. After glancing down the contents of the page, she took out a voice recorder and pushed the start button._

"_Off the record, I have to say that I'm your biggest fan!" she said with a huge smile on her face, as she twirled the ends of her straight hair between her fingers._ Here we go again, _Ichigo thought. This was going to be a long day..._

Ichigo became buddies with the old guy, who was running the cafeteria, due to the number of days he spent here, waiting Rukia to get out of her exam. He would wait her in here, drinking coffee and re-reading his favorite books or the new chapter he finished.

"Hey old man," he greeted the man who was probably in his mid 70s. The man smiled at him.

"Waiting for your princess again," he said with a tired yet lively tone. Ichigo didn't know how a man could sound like that but he did.

"Well you wouldn't call her princess if you had been with her for the past two weeks. You would call her something like _evil midget _or _she-devil_," Ichigo said smiling broadly. A few girls who were located at the back seats in the cafeteria giggled and batted their eye lashes.

"You are a ladies man huh?" the old man exclaimed, chuckling while he was preparing Ichigo's regular coffee, which was black with lots of sugar, he had a sweet-tooth. Ichigo smiled at the man and shook his head.

"I'm actually not much of a ladies man," he said shyly. He didn't know why he felt like that but the man was as old as his grandpa, that was if he had one, and he couldn't help but get embarrassed while talking about stuff like that.

"Ah don't worry; I saw the way you look at her. I know how it feels. I'm not that old for nothing boy," he said and handed Ichigo his coffee, "here is your regular and I heard that the exam was going to continue until 2 pm," and he winked at Ichigo before turning and greeting his new customers, namely other students.

Ichigo wondered if Rukia saw the way that he was looking at her. He wondered if she cared about the way he was looking at her, because she was not making any indication of her knowledge towards his feelings for her. He highly doubted that she paid enough attention, especially lately. He didn't know why but he had the feeling that Rukia was somehow avoiding a verbal declaration. It wasn't that they needed a verbal declaration or so, and they were not the type of people who thought that speaking was a way of communication, but somehow he couldn't help but wonder if he told her how he was feeling about her.

That's why he was afraid of the upcoming month and the interview.

_Even if it was minutes, it felt like hours to Ichigo. He patiently sat in his armchair and tried to answer the annoying girl's questions but she wasn't stopping with this non-sense. And when everything came to his private life, he felt more nervous than ever. Because now it was not his own life, he was sharing it with someone who he respected a lot and his privacy meant her privacy. So he tried to avoid the questions regarding his love life._

"_So lets talk about the photo shoot! I saw the catalogue and I have to say it was awesome. I mean I knew Kuchiki-san but I didn't know she was _that_ talented," Senna said while sipping her herbal tea. Thanks to Rukia he had herbal tea in his cupboard now so that he could drive away his unwanted visitors with that disgusting, excuse of a drink. He still had no idea how she stomached it. _

"_Uhm…I haven't seen it yet. She didn't show us the pictures," he tired to answer without raising any suspicion._

"_Really? How about the photos for the interview?" Senna asked and Ichigo immediately wanted shoot himself. He knew the photos. He knew them well. Actually when he saw them his jaw dropped on the floor and when Rukia added that it was how she saw him he went nuts and started to mark the days left until the end of her last exam so that he could lock her in his flat and…He shook his head and looked at the photos that Senna took out of a file. They were black and white and one could easily say that they were epic in many ways. They were simply fragments of daily life, a snapshot of a routine yet they were beautiful. At least according to Ichigo._

_The one on the top was his favorite. He was lying facedown on his couch with his boxers and his arm was dangling, his hand on Chappy which was trapped by the furry beast's front leg that was thrown over the said arm. They were sleeping, they looked content and peaceful…somehow connected. _

_The second one was him sitting on a stool in front of his kitchen counter holding his huge coffee mug and smelling the strong brew with closed eyes. Ichigo had no idea how she took that photo without his knowledge but he liked the light of the morning sunshine on his back and the steam of coffee that was brushing his bangs and again he looked content and concentrated. He smiled._

_The third one was taken from his bedroom and it was a view from top. In that he was leaning against his chair, his head thrown back with his hands clasped behind the back of his head, his eyes closed and his horn rimmed glasses tiredly sitting on his face. He had a soft smile on his face, one would even think that he was daydreaming and maybe he was. In this photo he looked happy._

_The fourth one could be considered as a classic in many senses. In that he was wearing a black turtle neck sweater and he was watching outside from the top to bottom windows of his living room. His back was turned to the photographer but the thoughtful yet serene look of his face could be seen from the reflection on the window. You couldn't see his face, but you could see its reflection. It was like his inner world was completely different there when you could only see his physical being from the back. That created a mysterious look._

"_I saw them few days ago," Ichigo answered silently, not being able to tear his eyes away from the photos._

"_What do you think your fans will think about those pics? They look very intimate and the rumor says that you are hanging a lot with Kuchiki-san," Senna tried persuading Ichigo into talking with different maneuvers. But Ichigo saw through that._

"_I think they are intimate too, but isn't that what makes them…unique in a sense. I have to say I was touched when I first saw the photos. I can't see that sides of mine so I wonder how she saw it." Ichigo answered her first question, carefully avoiding her undercover question about his relationship._

"_Well…again rumor says you have a girlfriend. What does she think about those photos?" She pestered him a little and he surrendered._

"_Since she is the one who took them, I highly doubt that she minds…" he finally answered, trying to satisfy her unstoppable, annoying curiosity. But the reaction he got wasn't the one he expected. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth was opening and closing like a goldfish that was out of its tank._

"_You mean you are….to-together with K-Kuchiki Rukia?" she asked tentatively. Ichigo nodded. And she burst into tears. Ichigo's left eye twitched._

"_O-Oi…what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked reaching out to touch her but she suddenly threw herself at him._

"_Oh dear Kami-sama I won the bet!!" she cheered suddenly throwing her hands in the air and turning around on one foot. Ichigo looked at her dumbfounded and at that moment he knew that some people were going to learn sooner than next month. He just hoped he didn't do something incredibly wrong, that he wasn't putting his foot in his mouth._

He cautiously took a sip from his third cup of coffee but this time a brownie cheesecake was accompanying the bothersome liquid. But he needed caffeine anyway. Tonight was going to be a big night since it was the last day of fall semester and they were going to go back to Las Noches, to work of course. He silently lifted his head and glanced over the clock on the white cafeteria wall. It was half past one and there was still half an hour to wait. He looked down at today's paper and blinked, he didn't feel like reading.

Suddenly he heard his name cheered from the other side of the room by a familiar voice. He turned and saw the phenomenal female of the campus, Neliel Tu, waving and walking towards him. She bounced happily when she came in front of him and she hugged him dearly.

"How are you Ichigo?" she asked happily. Ichigo eyed her and immediately wanted to learn why she was so happy and what she was doing in here.

"I'm good….waiting for Rukia to come out," he said calmly and pushed aside the paper that was lying on the table.

"Oh I'm here to see her too," she exclaimed. She sounded excited but Ichigo couldn't put a finger on it.

"Well she has half an hour…why do you want to see her," he asked tentatively. He saw her taking out an old looking book from her bag and stayed silent until she put it on the table and looked at him. He started down at the book.

"Hansel and Gretel?" Ichigo asked, arching an eyebrow. He reached his hand but Nel pulled the book away from his hands.

"Say Ichigo, do you know the story of unfortunate siblings?" she asked with a serious tone, leaving her cheery, bubbly persona aside.

"Yeah I do know about it. It's a very famous German fairy tale," he answered her but she kept looking at him with skeptical eyes. He didn't know what she wanted as an answer but he was sure that his explanation was not enough.

"Shido-Nii used to read me that before I went to sleep. And when he left, Nee-san would come in and re-read it," she explained. But there was no dreamy tone in her voice like the tone of someone who was remembering happy memories, it was like she was stating a fact, a reality. She was serious and at that moment Ichigo understood that the whole conversation itself was a message.

"That explains why Rukia has 'Gretel' tattooed on her ass," he said as nonchalantly as possible.

"She does, doesn't she?" Nel said in a confirming tone and pushed the book towards Ichigo.

"Give that to Nee-san and tell her that I have a surprise for her tonight," she said and rose from her chair. She took a few steps and stopped next to Ichigo. She bent down a little and whispered in his ear, "thanks a lot, if it wasn't you I couldn't have him here," and walked away calmly, her hips swaying as she walked.

Ichigo turned and looked at the book in front of him. What did she mean by that?

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Ichigo was sitting on the metal bench in front of Rukia's classroom. She had 5 minutes left and Ichigo decided to wait in here instead of sitting under the heavy gazes of female population.

Suddenly the door burst opened and Rukia came out with a sick looking Shinji on her heels. They walked slowly towards Ichigo and he got up to greet them. Both looked very tired and unhappy. As Rukia came closer to Ichigo she let herself go and Ichigo caught her.

"What happened? You two look like that you have been under heavy torture for the past few hours," he said, his arms circling Rukia's waist securely and strongly. Shinji sighed.

"Trust me I prefer an hour length MOB torture to art history exam," he said throwing himself to the metal bench. Ichigo sat down next to him, placing Rukia between them.

"Was it that bad," he asked tentatively. But realized that none of them was listening to him; instead they were staring at the book in Rukia's hands with piercing eyes.

"Where did you find this," Rukia asked with a hint of surprise in her tone. Ichigo scratched the back of his neck and touched the cover of the book with Rukia.

"Nel gave it to and told me to tell you that she has a surprise for you tonight," he said and added, "but she was talking very cryptic so I didn't get what she meant by that."

Rukia smiled at him and turned the book to look at its back cover.

"I don't know what she tried to say either, I guess we have to wait and see," she said, a little more lively. Then she straightened her back and rubbed her neck with her small hands. _She must be very tired, _Ichigo thought. He reached and grabbed her free hand and then rose to his feet.

"Lets go home and get you some sleep or else I will be dragging your dead ass out of Las Noches," Ichigo said tugging at her hand.

"You go guys, I will stay and wait for Hiyori. See you at LN tonight," Shinji said and leaned back on the bench, stretching his long legs in front of him.

Ichigo tugged Rukia towards him and wrapped his arm around her waist, he leaned and kissed her cheek. Rukia groaned and pinched him.

"No PDA, damn it. The whole school thinks that I have threesome with the assistant and his doppelganger!" she whined. Ichigo chuckled.

"Damn, can't I have my name next to yours without having that moron included in the scene," Ichigo asked jokingly.

"Are you kidding? There is even a bet going on about who has the front seat!" she said as she pushed the glass-metal door and let herself out with Ichigo's insistent arm around her.

"Which one of has the higher bet?"

"You," she said dryly. Ichigo grinned evilly and leaned down to her level.

"Well the last time I checked you weren't complaining, if your screams are any indicator," he whispered smugly.

"Oh and you weren't complaining either if 'oh yes Rukia that feels so good baby' is any indicator," she threw back at him. There was a sweet smile on her face but Ichigo could see the evil in it. He cringed.

He stopped opening her door after she chewed him for thinking that she was too noble to open her own door and he was too chivalric. So he let her to open the door and let herself in his car.

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As Ichigo pushed the door open and took his place next to Hisagi, the raven haired party boy smirked at his orange-haired companion.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Shuuhei yelled at Ichigo to make his voice heard due to loud music banging their ears.

"RUKIA NEEDED TO REST," Ichigo yelled back while taking his place behind the bar. He was wearing tight ash-grey shirt with low-rise dark jeans. He looked handsome with his spiky hair and causal outfit. Shuuhei looked at him and slid the Absolut bottle towards him which traveled the half of the counter and stopped in Ichigo's hands. Ichigo smirked at him and nodded. This was their way of communication every night.

And tonight was not a regular night at Las Noches. It was a crowded night. They had to close the doors at 10 pm which they normally closed at 12. But today was the last day of school and everyone wanted to get in and party. But of course this club was no joke. You couldn't enter here that easily. Their customers were upper-middle class business men/women or loaded and known university students. Pretty much like Nel, who was behind the bar with them, helping them for only tonight.

Ichigo didn't know why she was here but he guessed that it was related with the surprise. He had to admit that even he was curious to find what it was. Nel took out five shot glasses and poured real Mexican tequila in them. Ichigo and Shuuhei looked at her with curious eyes.

The first comer was Nanao. She just came, drank it in one swing and hit the shot glass on the counter and then walked away.

The second one was Momo. Ichigo and Shuuhei watched her swallowing the liquid and hitting the shot glass on the counter with a disgusted look on her face. She stuck her tongue out to them before she turned and left.

Third was Rukia. She ran to the bar, bottomed up and slammed her fist on the counter (instead of the glass) and left swearing.

And fourth one was Rangiku who drank the last two shots, blew a kiss and left.

"What? Everyone needs it once in a while, and there is no rule that you can't drink while working," said Nel as she poured herself, Hiyori and Shinji who was sitting on the bar, a shot and they all saluted Ichigo and Shuuhei before drinking it up.

Both men looked at each other and probably thought the same thing for the very first time in years: _SHIT!_

After an hour the night was still young for some people in the room, but not for Ichigo and Shuuhei. Girls were coming and going and they had a fangirl group which was currently residing in front of them, drinking their heads off. Ichigo was not comfortable with shit like that but as long as he stood behind the bar, everything was fine.

"Hey sugar bun, can I have another glass of martini?" asked the girl, who had long curly brown hair, a little too flirty. Ichigo nodded as his hand went for the martini glass. The girls were giggling and watching him intently. He glanced at them with a smug smile on his lips and turned to his job at hand.

"Anything ladies?" he asked sexily as he gave her the drink. _It was good as long as he was behind the bar_, he repeated in his head.

"How about _you_? Can I have it?" a red-head asked who was sitting in the middle, twirling her long red lock around her finger. She eyed Ichigo from top to bottom and from her looks she liked what she saw.

"Sorry ladies but I'm taken," he said putting his hand on his heart. The girls giggled again and closed in to discuss this new information which gave Ichigo the gap that he was waiting for.

"Smooth. You definitely know how to do it," Shuuhei whispered in his ear. It was with his normal tone but when Renji went wild in the DJ cabin they were sure to get permanent ear damage for that night.

"I have learned from you," Ichigo said grinning like a devil. Shuuhei laughed and slapped his back, both turning back to their jobs. These kind of jokes were their regular. Ichigo started to like this job also for this reason. He could bond with his old friends since he could spend more time in close proximity. Aside from that he could be with Rukia even if he couldn't _be_ with her. But he couldn't ask her to quit. This was her life and her job, her decision. Who was he to decide?

Ichigo watched Rukia from the corner of his eye, like he did every night since he became a bartender in here. He watched her interaction with the customers, he watched her while she danced with other girls, which they did very often, since they were not waitresses but 'mood-setters' of the club. They had waitresses for service.

He arched an eyebrow when he saw her coming towards the bar. She was wearing a black silk tank-top with tight, hip-hugging jeans and black pumps. Her hair was in a haphazard bun, a few locks of silky raven hair escaping from here and there, leaving her delicate neck open to his gaze.

"Hey berry boy!" she greeted him with a sexy smile on her face. Rukia was not a girl who got drunk easily. Though after a couple of glasses she started to smile like there was no tomorrow. Of course that was not something bad, since he usually worked his ass off to earn that smile out of her on regular basis.

"You weren't screaming _berry boy_ a few hours ago," he said smugly, stressing the nickname he despised with passion.

"Why, but you like _them_ to call you berry boy," she said seductively, leaning on the counter and batting her eyelashes. She was cute. Right side of Ichigo's lips lifted in a dashing smile.

"Do you really mind?" he asked, leaning towards her on the counter. The giggly-bitchy female group was watching them, probably holding their breath.

"Not at all, " she said, grabbed his hair and crushed her lips to his in a short but all-tongues-out war. She could hear the gasps and she _loved_ it. But much to Ichigo's dismay it was finished as fast as it started.

"Oh and send two margaritas to 11 will you," she added still few inches away from his face, his hair in her tight grip. Then she shoved him away and left him there standing dazed, breathing harshly like a race horse who just won the race. Suddenly he was hit in the head with towel. He turned and saw Shuuhei.

"Man I told you before, no making out during the work hours," he said throwing his arms in the air dramatically. He winked at the girls who were looking at Ichigo with huge eyes and dreamy glints in them.

Ichigo nodded dumbfounded and turned back to his job. He loved it when Rukia did such spontaneous and sexy things. It drove him crazy and now he had to wait until their 20 minutes break. He sighed and took out the margarita glasses, sugared their sides and started to prepare the drink.

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It was Ichigo's twenty minute break and he was in dire need of Rukia. Damn vixen left him there getting worked up over a small kiss. Well it wasn't small in a sense because Rukia rarely showed public display of affection. She was not into showing him off and he didn't mind at all. He wasn't into it either but sometimes…sometimes it was just too unbearable.

This was like one of those. As soon as he jumped in front of the counter he found himself disappeared in the crowd on the dance floor. His amber eyes were frantically searching for any sign of her and they landed on a nerdy looking boy who was dancing with a petite raven haired girl. He arched an eyebrow as he walked towards them. He cleared his throat and when that went unnoticed he coughed.

The nerdy guy looked around but didn't move his hand away from Rukia. Ichigo's left eye twitched, the boy still had his arm around Rukia's waist.

"Did you want something," nerdy asked, turning slightly towards Ichigo. Ichigo looked super calm. Rukia just stood there with a half smirk gracing her pretty face. She just liked watching him. The boy was an old customer that they (the girls) loved a lot. He came off age this year and before that he would come here to play video games with Shuuhei and Renji because his father wouldn't let him play at home.

"Oh yeah, I want you to unhand my girlfriend," Ichigo stated calmly, but he crossed his arms over his chest as a warning. With this stance and scowl he could intimidate even the toughest guy. And Rukia admitted that he looked very sexy.

"Rukia, you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend," nerdy whined. Ichigo couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you even off age? Seriously take your hands off before I put you into a coma," he warned seriously, but Rukia knew he enjoyed that…a lot.

"Come on berry boy, meet Tsubaki. He is off age since September. And he is quite good with video games. He even taught me a few tricks to pull on Shuuhei," Rukia said with and amused tone. She reached her hand and grabbed Ichigo's arm. He was still scowling furiously. He took her hand and pulled her towards him.

"Nice to meet you Tsubaki and now get lost," Ichigo said smirking. Rukia hugged his waist and watched Tsubaki swear under his breath as he walked away.

"He is a good kid. And you are not jealous, you just wanted to scare him," Rukia said with a mocking shock in her voice. Ichigo smirked dumbly and tightened his hold on her wait.

"Its feels good to know that youth still respects their older bothers," he leaned down and whispered in her ear. A sweet shiver ran down from her spine and her hands snaked under his tight shirt.

"Do you know what feels better," she whispered in his ear seductively and then licked it. Ichigo growled deep in his throat and grabbed Rukia to take her to the nearest room. He was completely acting on instinct and he didn't care where they were or what was going to happen next.

The nearest (and emptiest) room would be Ichimaru's office. The place he had but never used. They rarely saw the man coming and going. So Ichigo knew that they wouldn't be disturbed in there.

Ichigo kicked open the door and pushed Rukia in. His lips were on hers even before he kicked to door shot. His arms circled around her waist and pulled her to him as close as possible, his mouth ravishing hers. Rukia jumped on him and wrapped her legs around his waist as Ichigo led them to the nearest flat surface, Ichimaru Gin's desk. Rukia didn't protest as he put her down on the oak desk and his devious hands started to roam on her body freely. She knew that Ichigo was fascinated with soft fabrics so she usually tried to wear baby-soft cotton things, cashmere or silky materials. She gasped when his cool hands started slide into her silk tank-top inch by inch as his mouth was latched to hers. A low groan escaped his throat.

Her hands grasped his shoulders as she began to grind against him, even if she knew that they didn't have time for anything she just wanted to be close to him in a sense. His mouth left hers, nibbling down to her jaw and her neck, deliciously sucking on her skin as he thrust upwards, increasing the friction between them, letting her know what he wanted. Rukia's breathing became desperate as she clung to him, her legs tightly wrapped around his waist pulling him as close as possible to her. Her chin was on his shoulder, her breasts pushing against his chest, her nails scraping down the planes of his back while his hands trailed upwards from her spine and tangled themselves in her already disheveled bun.

Rukia gasped as his hands reached up and took a hold of the sides of her face. He brought her lips back to his as his hand snaked down and grabbed her ass tightly. Rukia was panting by now due to Ichigo's assault on her mouth and Ichigo was not doing any better since he was growling as he leaned into her face, trying to get as much as he could. She couldn't help but moan as his tongue pried her lips apart and delved into the velvet of her mouth. Her fingers relinquished their hold on his chest as they moved to his neck and gripped the hair at the nape of his neck. She angled her head to allow him deeper and started to rub herself to him with increased purpose. The hands that were gripping her ass tightly yanked her closer to him, as if possible, her breasts creating the friction of their upper bodies as her hips continued to increase the torturous yet delicious and much anticipated heat in their lower parts.

She tore her mouth in order to give them sometime to breath and reached down to place butterfly kisses on his neck and jaw line, and soon she was awarded by a few deep groans. She could feel the tight cords of his hard column as she bit and nipped at his pulse. She was fascinated by how it beat so erratically. It gave her a sense of feminity, a sense of peculiarity to know that she was the cause of this heat, this need. She could feel that he wanted her so badly…

But this has to stop since they were in the office of their boss and Ichigo had left 5 minutes before his break was over.

"Ichi-" but before she could finish he took advantage of it and crushed his lips to hers, delving his tongue back to her delicious mouth. She groaned but tired harder to push him off, as her hands settled on his chest and shoved him away gently, yet warningly.

"What the hell," he nearly yelled. He looked disoriented and his eyes were darker than they should be.

"We are not at home idiot," she continued as she tried to save herself from his strong arms. Ichigo looked around dumbfounded for few seconds and then blinked.

"Uhm…yeah," and he checked his watch to see how many minutes he left. He hissed a curse when he saw that he had exactly 3 minutes 24 seconds. Rukia looked at him lovingly. Though nothing was boyish about him, he still looked like a boy when he was troubled and Rukia loved that lost look on his face.

"Come on dummy," she said as she pushed herself (and him) away from the oak desk and grabbed his hand to led him to the small staff toilet that was next to Ichimaru's office.

Ichigo was back to his place behind the bar and Rukia was back with her customers less than 3 minutes later. Both knew what was going to happen as soon as they pass the threshold of their flat tonight.

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Everyone looked tired after such a busy Friday night in town. Shuuhei looked like he was going to drop dead any moment while he was collecting the glasses from all over the club. Renji was ordering his stuff before he turned his instruments off for the night. Rangiku was cheerful, yet she looked tired. Rukia was helping Ichigo behind the bar to order the bottles and put the glasses away. Shinji, Hiyori and Toshiro were helping Momo and Nanao.

This was the time of the night that Ichigo hated most. The time when they were tidying up the place for the night.

"What the hell," Shuuhei suddenly asked as he raised his head and looked over to the front door. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over at him. He was pointing something outside, "someone parked a freaking Ferrari Enzo at the entrance," he yelled still pointing outside.

Rukia's head jerked up and she looked at Shuuhei and then Nel. When Ichigo followed her gaze, he found a Neliel who was leaning against the DJ cabinet with her hands crossed under her breast. She had a mischievous smile on her face.

"None of us can own that car even if we sell our asses, excluding Ichigo…and maybe Nel…I highly doubt Rukia would accept such a gift from her brother…" Renji commented silently, rubbing his chin, apparently thinking the possible owners of the car. Nel giggled next to him.

Suddenly Rukia jumped over the counter and walked towards the door hurriedly. She looked outside frantically and jerked away from the door. Her eyes narrowed as she turned and started to look around the now empty club. Everyone watched her dumbfounded.

"Ashido! Bring your skinny ass here or I will kick it back to hell," Rukia yelled to no one particular. Nel squealed with delight and clapped her hands. Rukia was nearly panting.

A maroon haired man with grey eyes, that were similar in color with Nel's, came out of the corner of the club with a goofy grin on his face.

Ichigo watched silently as every female's jaw hit the floor, except Rukia's who was scowling furiously back at the man with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Surprise Rukia-Nee!!"

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**back with my readers:** I know how its unfair to read like it was the continuation of the chapter but some points should be reminded so I just can't stop writing. I have few questions for you:

What did Nel mean when she thanked Ichigo?

What is Ashido doing in here?

If they were soooo close, where was Ashido all the time?

Hmmm….

Maybe next chapter we might find some answers to that, but I would like to read your guesses…


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer:** not mine!

**rabbit's note:**I know it has been dead long, but I am so sorry for taking my time with this story. To be honest my real life has been hectic (I finished my school, moved out, interviews, internships etc) and I didn't have time not to mention I recovered from a major writer's block. I just want you guys to know that this story is my first love and I shall write it until I feel satisfied with the outcomes. You know I write it for the ones who read(not just for reviews) so I want to thank you all who supported me until know. You have no idea how reviews work on a writer and I shall keep writing for the ones who keep following me. I know it has been a long journey but hold on a little more my beloved readers. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy…

oh and this is an unedited version. I will replace it as soon as I get the edited version, I guess my beta is working on it!

**Love hath so long possessed me for his own  
And made his lordship so familiar.**_ Dante-La Vita Nuova_ (1293)

_Spell it out for Me!_

"Surprise my ass!!" Rukia yelled back at Nel.

Ashido stood at the opposite corner of his sister, wearing a knowing smirk on his face. He was wearing low-rise baggy jeans and a black hoodie. It seemed like everyone was watching him yet he didn't flinch. Ichigo's eyes shifted towards Nel, who was wearing the same expression with her brother. Everyone was dead silent.

Suddenly Ichigo saw a chair flying towards the maroon haired guy as he ducked and scratched the back of his head.

"I guess expecting a warm welcome was a little to much…a hug maybe…or even a kiss," he said grinning and looking directly at Rukia.

""WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?! ARE YOU SUICIDAL," Rukia yelled at him at the top of her lungs, throwing her hands in the air. She would probably grab another chair to throw at the new comer.

"Che…Don't worry your skinny ass over mine, midget," Ashido answered her.

Ichigo saw Shuuhei and Renji looking at the guy stupidly, like he was an alien or something. Probably they haven't seen anyone calling Rukia midget besides themselves. Come to think of it, thinking that Rukia has a _best_ friend that they didn't know must have come like a shock. On the other hand Ashido was quiet disinterested, he didn't even look back at them. The only person that he was making an eye contact was Rukia. Not even his own sister…

"Don't worry? You say don't worry…yeah the last time you said that you were shipped off to the other side of the WORLD," she yelled frustrated. Both were still standing their original spot, where they started to argue out of nowhere. Shouldn't Rukia welcome her long-term friend more…lovingly? Why was she so furious about this visit? Why was Ichigo thinking that she should greet her friend lovingly? What the hell was wrong with Ichigo? Now Ichigo himself felt confused upon his revelations.

"Rukia, seriously you should start learning listening to people. Being a strong headed mule won't help you out," he warned her with a teasing tone in his voice. He really could be an intimidating figure even when teasing. Ichigo realized that Ashido had a determined, strong-willed and rebellious aura around him. He was also easy on the eye but Ichigo wasn't jealous at all. Yes, the man in front of him was handsome but Rukia was with Ichigo even if she knew him for a very long time. That only meant that there was something in him that she didn't like. Ok, that was an optimistic point of view since she had a tattoo on her ass reminding her of their _relationship_, or whatever it was

"I'm not being a mule. I'm just asking wh-" she suddenly stopped and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"I'm here for…Well Kuchiki Byakuya _thought_ that I would _like_ to spend my holidays with my family," he answered her unfinished question. Rukia raised an elegant raven eyebrow. Ichigo could see the curiosity and the turning wheels in her head.

"Besides you should stop making out at every opportunity, or better train your boyfriend to behave like a good boy. It could have been _him_ who was standing here, we wouldn't want our beloved writer shipped of to New Zealand or something" Ashido said as he started to walk towards Rukia.

Nel eeked and started walk towards her brother. He eyed the girl questioningly.

"Shido-Nii, Nel is soooo happy that you are here," she squealed in delight and threw her arms around his neck, to hug him. But the guy didn't hug her back.

"What the hell are you playing at bitch," Ashido asked narrowing his eyes. Rukia hit him hard on the head.

"Don't call her that, damn it, she is your freaking sister," she yelled at the guy who was rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"Trust me Rukia, she grew up with mom. She knows the dirty tricks of noble blood, which you are not accustomed to," he tired to assure Rukia as he tried to legitimize his actions. There was a staring contest between the siblings and so far it seemed Ashido had the advantage. Ichigo could understand what the guy meant when he was talking about dirty tricks. The Nel he met today in the cafeteria was not the regular cheery, cute Nel that they knew. She was…mysterious and scary in a way that only females could be.

"She doesn't want Ichigo," she reasoned. Probably that was the only thing that came to her mind regarding Nel and Ichigo.

"Who said that she wants your slip of a boyfriend, besides mom wouldn't let her mixed with…commoners, lets say" he pointed and leaned towards Rukia, "she might have other evil schemes," he whispered, but everyone in close range heard him. Then he suddenly stopped and looked on his side.

"Is that Shinji," he asked with an amazed tone, pointing the blonde guy. Rukia smiled and nodded. Shinji was grinning from ear to ear.

"Che…and I was thinking when Ashido was going to see me," Shinji said crossing his arms over his chest. There was a devious smile on his face.

"Man its so hard to recognize you with that…hair." Ashido was pointing Shinji's short blonde locks. Shinji grinned from ear to ear and hugged Ashido in the most boyish was a person could see, then Ashido added, "Previous one was more rebellious, my mom hated you and I'm sure Byakuya had a few plans in his pocket in case you ended up with Rukia."

"Seriously guys stop it!" Rukia half yelled, half ordered the two boys in front of her. She crossed her arms over her chest and took that serious, intimidating stance that Ashido would name as "Kuchiki Stance" as soon as he saw it, and then she continued, "Why are you here Ashido, if Nii-sama hears that you are in Japan, there will be lots of trouble on your side of the planet."

"Well I heard that you wouldn't want to be separated from your lover boy and come to Aspen with us, so I sacrificed my lowly life for you and came here to spend the Christmas! You know my rank is lower than a Kuchiki, so I can only put myself at your feet as your slay dog," Ashido said half jokingly, standing there with his hands in his pockets. Ichigo had to admit that he was a handsome man with a dashing body. But what irked him was not his looks…it was the way he talked and the way Nel was acting. Suddenly the pieces started fit. He has been thinking why Nel thanked him today at school. It was obvious that Ashido was here because of his relationship with Rukia. But why it was so important? And why that guy was making fun of Rukia's status, didn't he know that she was not a Kuchiki?

"Ashido…" Rukia started but Ashido raised his hand to stop her. His goofy smile disappeared and his stance changed.

"I'm here because Byakuya told my mom to invite me, _her son_, for the Christmas," he said looking straight at Rukia. It felt like they were the only occupants in the room since no one was moving or talking. Everyone was too focused on the two and their conversation, of course except Nel who obviously knew what was going on and Shinji, who probably had an idea what was going on since he was Rukia's childhood friend.

"Why would he do that," Rukia asked with a curious tone but it sounded more like she was asking that question to herself.

"Well there are two possible answers: one, he loved your boyfriend so much that he wanted to show him off to me, which is quiet impossible since Kurosaki Ichigo is not the heir of the British throne, and two, he really doesn't like your boyfriend and he wanted me to come back to snatch you away," Ashido reasoned. Rukia was looking at him dumbfounded.

"None of them is possible since he has no idea that I'm with Ichigo," she answered as good as possible, or so she thought.

"Midget, I tried to teach you about guys but I guess you are still naïve about noble brothers or fathers…They always know who is doing their daughter or sister," he said smugly.

"Nope…He can't know and don't argue with me about that Ashido. I'm seriously not in mood for that," Rukia said, as she turned and started to collect the chairs to place them on top of the tables.

"Rukia you can't be serious. We both know that there is a reason why I'm here for the freaking Christmas!! I'm invited to_ Byakuya's_ Christmas DINNER, for crying out loud!!" He yelled as he grabbed Rukia's arm and turned her towards him. Everyone froze on their spot but Ichigo could see how Shuuhei and Renji were ready to jump on the guy. On the other hand, he was uncharacteristically calm. Maybe it was the effect of knowing that her family had no idea that she was with him while his family was rejoicing for having her as a guest for the Christmas. He felt a sharp pain which he was going to choose to ignore for the following few hours.

"I don't care," she yelled at him, "I'm not going, I'm invited to Kurosaki's!!"

"Like that would stop him!" Ashido yelled back still gripping Rukia's arm.

Ichigo saw Shuuhei looking at him and telling him to jump on the guy but he chose to stay there where he was, standing with his arms crossed over his chest and with a scowl on his face. If Rukia was not jerking her arm away or showing any indicator of her distraught, he wouldn't play the over-protective lover, even if his blood was _slightly_ boiling in his veins

Ichigo could see the communication between them but the fact that Rukia never told him about this Ashido guy was a little irritating. He always thought that Rukia told him everything about her life, but this guy was still a mystery to him and he was sure that it was a mystery for everyone except Shinji and maybe Kaien if he were here. . But no, Ichigo was not going to worry, or get jealous, or throw a tantrum until he observed and learned. Still he felt a little tugging at his heart because Rukia didn't mention anything about Ashido to him, he could only guess how others were feeling.

"We have to stop and think clearly. We know what happens when we act harshly," he said with a calmer tone.

"Oh my, look who is talking about not acting harshly! Just to remind you, I wasn't the one who yelled 'back the fuck off you fucking bastard' at_ his_ face," Rukia said, snatching her arm away and walking towards a chair to sit on. Ashido stood where he was and stayed calm.

"Well I can continue being that Ashido but that will only cause him to give you to Shiba, who he despises, since I'm the one who is standing here instead of him. But if you say that you want Shiba I can always arrange an escape for you," He said half jokingly.

Rukia looked up at him but didn't smile. It was the first time that Ichigo saw her so upset yet so furious over something that he didn't have any idea. Why would Byakuya tried to give Rukia to Shiba or yet why Ashido was _brought_ back from wherever he was to have a simple Christmas dinner? Suddenly it hit Ichigo like a brick. These people were noble and they wouldn't give Rukia to someone like…him. For the second time in his life Ichigo felt like all the blood leaving his body and his heart stopping. He was sure that the rest of the room was still oblivious to what these people were talking about.

"If he asks, I will deny. I will tell him that he is just a good friend…like Shuuhei or Shinji," Rukia tried to find a way desperately.

"If he is sure of it enough to call me here then he took the information from a good resource. I highly doubt its Shiba, because he wouldn't play it like that. So I guess it's from someone who has no relationship with you. Maybe he or she is just an informant. Anyway we will learn that during the dinner, Im sure of it," he said in a rather assuring and apologetic tone and patted Rukia's shoulder, then he looked over at his sister with hard eyes and added with a strict tone, " on second thought maybe that _she _is close to you…" Ichigo couldn't help but be fascinated with how fast their moods were changing and how they controlled everything without much effort. A look, a word, a tone was more than enough.

"Maybe we can help if you tell us what is going on," suddenly Rangiku cheered from the left side of the hall. Ashido eyed the blonde beauty with cold grey eyes and turned his attention back to Rukia. Ichigo realized the look that Ashido was giving to her, somehow it was softer and more assuring, it was warm and knowing, which started to confuse and upset him. It wasn't jealousy, no, but it was the fact that someone was capable of knowing Rukia better than him and that someone understood what was troubling her. He knew how it was going to end. He was going to be the one who was watching from aside, not being able to help, not being able to stand for her, and be with her in whatever she was going through. He couldn't even understand what she was thinking or feeling when it came to that.

"Nope its ok, you shouldn't worry yourself," Rukia tried to reassure her friend with a fake smile that Ichigo could recognize from miles away. She stood from her chair and turned to Ashido, "Ok, now you will go and we will talk about that later. We still have few days before the dinner and we will come up with something."

Ichigo saw Ashido smiling down at her and twirling a lock of raven hair, which escaped from the bun, lovingly. He abruptly stooped and looked at the other occupants of the room, including Ichigo.

"It was nice to meet you guys, even though you don't know who I am , I know everyone of you very well and it has been a pleasure to see how you look like in real life," He said, bowing and greeting them in a half mocking, half serious way. Then he turned and started to walk towards the door as causally as a person could. He stood and unlocked the doors and before he let himself out he looked over his shoulder and smiled at others.

"No one can stop the evil witch aside form the chosen ones," said Hansel before he left the building, full with curious people.

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The drive for home was silent. Ichigo could see her thoughtful face from her reflection on the window while they were passing by the countless streetlights. She refused to talk as they packed and closed the club for tonight and she kept her silence even in the car. Normally Ichigo wouldn't mind but the fact that she didn't want to share it was hurting like hell. As much as he tried to be there fro her, she refused to include him. Maybe it was something he should stay out of, but he couldn't and wouldn't. What kind of man he would be if he left the woman he loved to herself? Besides he wasn't a person who was patient enough to wait for her to open but he would try. It was her choice to tell him or not, yet it hurt to be excluded. When Ichigo heard her sighing deeply, he couldn't hold it anymore.

"Are you going to tell me what was that about," he asked and his voice came out a little harsher than he planned, but Rukia didn't react to that, she seemed uncaring and distant.

"Not tonight," she answered him shortly but he heard the 'not ever' under her tone. He felt more upset, as if possible. He always thought that he was able to reflect his feelings for her but now he doubted that she was even aware of them.

"So that was Hansel huh," he asked, trying to push her a little, not much, just enough to make her talk.

"You are not jealous and I'm sure that by now you are aware of the relationship that Ashido and I have, so why are you asking," she talked back. Ichigo decided to shut up for the night since she was taking everything he said in the wrong way and he knew that they were close to a point where everything was going to become more fragile than ever. So he continued to drive as silent as he could until they reached his flat and parked the car.

The mood in the house was not anything different from the mood in the car. She barely greeted Chappy, the poor dog who was seeking some attention from his owner. After not being able to get a pat, Chappy went and jumped on Ichigo who patted him in return and sent him back to his warm place on Ichigo's couch. Somehow the dog didn't mind the distressed mood of his mistress, or maybe it was familiar with those moods so he chose to stay away, which seemed like the most logical solution for Ichigo too.

As He silently followed Rukia to the upstairs, he couldn't help but think how long this was going to continue. He really thought that they were going to have fun tonight, celebrating the end of her finals but the fate had different plans for him in store. He walked into their bedroom and started to undress himself while his eyes followed Rukia to the bathroom. He would give his right hand to join her there but the unreachable aura that she had, was enough warning for him to step back and not try something funny.

He listened to the sound of the shower and waited for her to come as he slowly undressed and pulled his favorite boxers on before getting under the covers. He patted his pillow a little and cautiously laid down on it, not knowing why he was so tense. Then the reason of his worries came out of the bathroom with a cloud of steam following her. He looked over at her already dressed form and once again realized that she was not going to respond to him in anyway.

He silently watched her as she towel dried her shiny wet raven locks and brushed them before tying them up in a bun.

"You are going to catch a cold, you should dry them at least a few minutes," he said, not being able to help himself.

"Don't worry, I'm used to it," she answered coldly.

"I can dry it if you don't want," he said without thinking.

"I said don't worry, didn't I," she asked with a colder tone which shut Ichigo up. He snuggled deeper into the covers like a boy who got scolded by his mother. He didn't know why but he was feeling very insecure right now. Maybe it was related with the way Rukia was treating him, or maybe it was related with the feeling that she was not acknowledging his feelings for her. He just felt like that there was a whole new gap between them which he didn't know how to fill.

Again he watched her lifting the covers up and getting in to the bed. She rested herself on her pillow and sighed with closed eyes. Ichigo was sure that she could feel his intense gaze on her, but she didn't move. She just pulled the covers up to her chin and turned her back to him which offended him a little bit. He took the initiative and snuggled closer to her before putting a soft kiss on her cheek. He always loved to kiss Rukia after shower because he loved how smooth her skin was and he loved how she smelled.

"I love you, " he said, without realizing what he did until he felt her body tense. She sighed and put her hand on his big one which was currently residing on her tummy.

"Good night Ichigo," she said and just like that she brushed away his very first verbal confession.

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**rabbit's bla bla:** I like Ashido to be honest but I don't think he likes my characters, besides Rukia...Let me know what you think! support your bunny writer for crazier thoughts! -_muches on a carrot cookie-_


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer:** not mine. The song belongs to A Fine Franzy.

**rabbit talk: **Okpeople first of all I would like to inform you that we have left two chapters(excluding the epilogue) to finish this long ass story, well at least this is my plan for now. I started to write this story while I was listening this song and I recommend you to go on Youtube and listen to it, its simply touching…and amazing, imo. Let me talk about this chapter a little: to simply put little kids should stay away from it, just to be safe. I know lots of you felt bad after reading Rukia giving the cold shoulder to a sweet patient Ichigo but let me tell you this; Kurosaki Ichigo is not a patient man and we all know that Kuchiki Rukia has too much heart and care to give someone cold shoulder. I have to cut it short now, but I will meet you at the end of the chapter…oh and this chapter is not edited, my beta is lost, she hasn't turned back to me_-pouts-_

**Almost Lovers- A Fine Franzy**

Your fingertips across my skin

The palm trees swaying in the wind

Images

You sang me Spanish lullabies

The sweetest sadness in your eyes

Clever trick

Well, I'd never want to see you unhappy

I thought you'd want the same for me

Goodbye, my almost lover

Goodbye, my hopeless dream

I'm trying not to think about you

Can't you just let me be

So long, my luckless romance

My back is turned on you

Shoulda known you'd bring me heartache

Almost lovers always do

We walked along a crowded street

You took my hand and danced with me

Images

And when you left you kissed my lips

You told me you would never, never forget

These images

Well, I'd never want to see you unhappy

I thought you'd want the same for me

Goodbye, my almost lover

Goodbye, my hopeless dream

I'm trying not to think about you

Can't you just let me be

So long, my luckless romance

My back is turned on you

Shoulda known you'd bring me heartache

Almost lovers always do

I cannot go to the ocean

I cannot drive the streets at night

I cannot wake up in the morning

Without you on my mind

So you're gone and I'm haunted

And I'll bet you are just fine

Did I make it that easy to walk

Right in and out of my life

Goodbye, my almost lover

Goodbye, my hopeless dream

I'm trying not to think about you

Can't you just let me be

So long, my luckless romance

My back is turned on you

Shoulda known you'd bring me heartache

Almost lovers always do

_Almost Lover_

"Ichigo I don't think we are doing something right," Shuuhei mumbled, sitting in the passenger seat of Ichigo's silver TT. This was odd, this was something Shuuhei has never done before and he thought that it was simply being dishonest.

"Just shut the hell up before I kick you out of the car," the orange haired writer answered back, his eyes fixed on a guy and a girl who were sitting and a bench and talking about something, heatedly.

"I mean its like…you know," Shuuhei mumbled again, sliding deeper into the seat so that Rukia wouldn't recognize him even if she saw them.

"No I don't know and its not your girlfriend who is giving you the cold shoulder only to go and meet with her ex," Ichigo defended himself without tearing his eyes from the couple. He wasn't even blinking, damn it.

"I highly doubt Rukia is cheating on you," he said dryly almost too nonchalantly for Ichigo's taste. Of course he knew that, she was his girlfriend for crying out loud and even though he was not good with reading people, he was gifted in the department of reading one raven haired midget.

"Who said she is cheating? I'm just trying to understand what the hell she is hiding from me! Rukia is not a girl who does such things, she is way too honest for that, but this is way out of her league," when Ichigo finished, Shuuhei realized the anger in his voice even if his friend was trying to hide it. The poor sod was worried about his girlfriend, that was understandable, he was worried about his friend too but stalking her was a bit too much. If Rukia knew, she would slaughter them in the most brutal way. Maybe take their eyes out and feed Chappy the _monster_ with it.

They kept watching while the two kept talking just few feet away from their car. Ichigo was doing it pretty open and it was dangerous since they didn't know how the other party, namely Ashido, would react to such a thing. Shuuhei was also irked about Ashido, and Rukia's silence added salt to the wound. She was not just avoiding Ichigo but she was also not hanging out with them anymore. It had been five days since the last time she stepped into Las Noches and it had been five days since that maroon haired bastard came. Come to think of it, if Shuuhei was feeling like that, he could only guess how Ichigo might feel since the girl was his lover. Poor sod indeed…

"You are right, but maybe you should talk that with Rukia…You know ask her what is bothering her," he offered as an advice. Ichigo's left eye twitched, it was becoming a habit lately.

"You think I haven't tried," Ichigo asked with a cold tone in his voice. His eyes were still fixed on the couple and Shuuhei couldn't help but sigh, then Ichigo continued, "She just snaps at me and dismisses my advances on any level."

Now Shuuhei could hear some sadness in his voice, which Ichigo was probably trying to mask with anger. He knew that his friend was in love with her and Ichigo being a sensitive person was not helping in this situation, even though he could hide it behind a permanent scowl.

"What happened man," Shuuhei asked, knowing too well that there was something bigger than Rukia spending her time with the new-yet old- guy. Ichigo sighed upon that which was heart breaking since it was the first time Shuuhei heard him sighing like that.

"I told her that I loved her, but she brushed it off," Ichigo admitted dejectedly, massaging his temples. Shuuhei could see why he was so insistent about following her around. He simply wanted to know what was going on in her life and wanted to know her reason for not responding him.

"I'm sure she has her reasons, I mean I know that she cares about you deeply Ichigo. But you have to keep in mind that a part of her is living a life that we have no idea. I guess the arrival of that stuck up bastard was enough for me to understand that we were insufficient in understanding her. She has a brother that we have no idea how he treats her. And she was torn apart from a friend that was helping her to survive in a place that she had no idea, at least that's what I understand when I look at Ashido and his relationship with Rukia," Shuuhei tried to reason, assuring Ichigo, and even maybe himself, on the fact that things were different now, for them.

But Ichigo knew all too well how that so called brother was treating her. He was probably the main cause of her distress and he could do nothing about it. Its not that he wanted to be the knight in shining armor because god knew that Rukia was not your everyday damsel in distress. But then again there had to be something that he could do, well at least he hoped.

"Hansel and Gretel are siblings who fight together to escape from the evil witch. They plot a plan together to trick the witch and they are abandoned kids upon the arrival of their step mother…I find those ironic and very Rukia like. I guess the analogy behind is purely a product of her own personality and how she was raised before she was adopted into Kuchiki family. It's a pity that this side of her character comes out very rarely and we are not the ones who see that…"Ichigo answered his friend bitterly, almost hinting him on the fact that the witch in here was probably Kuchiki Byakuya.

Turning towards his friend, Ichigo decided to share his problem with his friend, maybe for the first time in his life. He didn't like sharing his personal life but right now Shuuhei was the one who could understand or sympathize with him, not that he needed sympathy, mind you.

"Look Ichigo, Rukia has never been the one to express her feelings so openly…It always seemed like she was afraid of something, I mean I haven't seen her telling Rangiku how much she loved her and I know she loves Ran-chan. Do you know what I mean? She is not that open and I guess that's coming from the elder Kuchiki. I haven't seen the man smiling, not even once. I don't think that they like displaying their emotions openly," It was also hard for Hisagi to lose the attention of his long term friend so suddenly.

"No she is perfectly fine displaying her feelings when she actually _feels_ them. That's what my problem is. Come to think of it…" but before he could finish his sentence they heard a loud tap on the car window. Ichigo turned his face away from Hisagi to look at the intruder but the expression on Hisagi's face was one of worry. When Ichigo turned, he came nose to nose (with only a window in between) with Ashido. He tried to read the expression on the guy's face and without turning his head his eyes quickly scanned the street for any sign of Rukia, which there was none. The sound of the automatically sliding window was the only thing that was filling silence in the car.

"You should be more subtle, its getting harder to distract her," said the maroon haired man with a cold and expressionless face. He was leaning over the car. Ichigo didn't know what he should say at that moment, his hand went to the door and he clicked it open, causing Ashido to take few steps back. Shuuhei also followed Ichigo outside, he walked next to him and leaned over the automobile's head with his arms crossed over his chest. On his other side Ichigo was standing with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the car door and he had a fierce scowl on his face.

"And how would that be any of your business," Ichigo asked, apparently irritated with the fact that this man knew that he was following his girlfriend for the past few days.

"Next time park your car at least five cars behind, and if your eyesight is not that good use binoculars. Rukia is not the one to do things behind others' back. If you want to know it so badly then try asking her," he said before turning his back to leave them where they were standing.

"What the hell do you think I have been doing for the past week," Ichigo yelled with frustration. Shuuhei could see his friend coming to his limits. On the other hand the other man was very calm, almost in a scary and intimidating way.

"Maybe you are not asking in the right way," he answered the temperamental writer's question without even turning back.

"Care to tell what is the right way, since you know it so _well_," Ichigo asked gritting his teeth, Shuuhei could almost hear it from where he was standing.

"Now that would be too easy for you and I am person who believes that people should work hard for what they _truly_ want," this time he looked at them over his shoulder. What Hisagi saw was something he has never seen in the eyes of this man. The gray orbs were burning with passion and that in itself told Shuuhei that Kanō Ashido was not as calm as he seemed to be. He was just another noble boy who was taught to hide his emotions.

Ichigo was really pissed and he felt the anger in him unlike it had been before. He only felt like that when Kenpachi insulted his mother (during one of the cage fights) which ended both of them being hospitalized back in those days. His fists clenched on his sides and he started to breathe harshly, but before he could jump on the noble man that was currently walking away from them, Hisagi stopped him by restraining him from behind.

"Just let me go and I will show him how _hard_ a man can work," Ichigo breathed between clenched teeth. Shuuhei could feel his friend's erratic heart beat from behind.

"I can't, that would only harm you and your relationship with Rukia. I'm sure that guy is dealing with his own problems and whatever they are trying to deal together is far above us, Ichigo. Just let them be for a while," said Shuuhei with a determined tone. His guts were telling Shuuhei to trust this guy when it came to Rukia. All in all he knew the girl better than they did…

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Rukia woke up with the buzzing sound of her cell phone. She opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the OLED screen. It was a message from Ashido asking if she was awake. Though Rukia hated him calling so early she couldn't risk Ichigo hearing. She tried to push Ichigo's arm away from her so that she wouldn't wake him up. When she rose to her feet, she was extra careful with the parquet to avoid any cracking piece which would wake Ichigo up. She was just going to go downstairs, at the far end of the house and call Ashido, probably a few minutes would be enough and then she could turn back to Ichigo's side.

She didn't want Ichigo's involvement. This was something beyond him and he shouldn't concern himself with things that he couldn't help. She knew that she was acting like a complete ass but when things came down to something more serious she wanted Ichigo to be able to let her go. No, she was not trying to push him away but in his nature, Ichigo was protective and he would get upset and depressed if he couldn't help her with her problem, which there was no way he could when it came to something involving Kuchiki Byakuya. So she was trying to keep him out of it and the moment she let him see that side of her, he would get more broken.

That night was already a disaster in Rukia's book. She didn't expect him to come up and say something like that, she wasn't ready and she thought he wasn't ready either. But come to think of it Ichigo had changed a lot since the beginning of their relationship. He became more sensitive and understanding and he was observing before judging. And despite the fact that she didn't respond to his confession, she loved the man very much. She was just not going to tell it to him or else it was going to become public knowledge and soon would be taken away from her like any other thing that she loved so openly. Surely Byakuya would put enough effort to tear her ties with the outside world so that she could live the life of a noble wife, next to her husband, for the following 40-50 years. But maybe if she didn't tell that she was in love with Ichigo, if she denied that they were together, he wouldn't touch them. He would think he was just another guy who was close to her, like Shinji or Shuuhei, so that she could keep him by her side and love him forever. But if he knew…He would take him away just like he took her house and her belongings away when she told him that she loved them…just like how he sent Ashido to U.S even if she begged and told him that she loved the boy. No, this time it was not going to happen like that.

And Ashido would make sure of it, he promised her and he always kept his promises…

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Ichigo woke up to the buzzing sound of Rukia's cell phone but he didn't open his eyes. That was the exact way that he was waking up for the past few days. Tomorrow was Christmas and she was talking on the phone with _that_ man at 7 freaking am in the morning. First of all she hated waking up so early, second of all the secret way that she was talking to _him_ was driving Ichigo mad and he could only be that much patient, he was already at his limit. But he kept waiting patiently, at least for today.

"Hey…No he is asleep…Ashido I'm not a morning person and I hate when you cheer…What?...No…I already told you!...So? Is that what he said?...Of course I believe you…No…its just…Ashido! Can you listen to me?!...No I keep telling you! Keep him out of this…What?...Yeah I know he does…No…No…Is that so? Is this how you really think?...Then why the hell do we keep talking?!...No…Of course not, why would I?…Ashi-Ashido!!...This is stupid. It really is, this is Kuchiki Byakuya not your gardener damn it!" Rukia's fluent talking was put on hold for some reason. It sounded like she was listening without making any comment. What were they talking about? Was that bastard planning something to jeopardize Rukia's relationship with her brother? Kaien once told them that Ashido hated the guy and he would be on Ichigo's side if he knew that Byakuya hated Ichigo? What was he planning?

Ichigo slowly rose from his bed to hear it better and he was extra careful not to make any sound. He wouldn't want Rukia to catch him eavesdropping on her so called secret phone calls. With that method he learned that Rukia was not going to attend their Christmas family dinner with his family but that was something she hasn't informed him about yet, so he pretended like he didn't know. He wondered when she was going to tell him. He also learned that Shiba clan was invited as guests for the dinner party that Byakuya was throwing for Christmas, and then there was something called noble assembly which put Rukia in a depression for two days, though Ichigo didn't know why and what it was. Things were just getting ridiculous and he didn't want to waste more of their precious time with teenage drama that should only take place in high school. They were too old for this shit and Ichigo was getting tired of it. Not that he was getting tired of Rukia, but he was getting tired of this secrecy…

"And how do you expect me to break this news to him, huh?...No…No I wouldn't want you to, because you don't know how to talk and no offence but by now surely he hates you…Its written all over his face and he started to wake up extra gloomy in the morning…What?!I certainly will not do that!!...Oh my god, you pervy side is on the surface, just shut the fucking phone before I screw a nail in my head!!...No…no we don't!! I will not discuss that with you…No its not related with you not having breasts…Ashido!...Can you just cut it. And don't try to change the subject I left my warm bed for this? You should give me something better. Something that does not involve Ichigo being put on the hit-list of Nii-sa-…Of course I will call him Nii-sa…Ashido…" then the silence came again. This time he heard the phone's ending sound which was followed by Rukia's deep sigh. Did he just shut the phone to her face? His guess was right, the bastard was pressuring her to involve Ichigo into _something_, but he had no fucking idea what it was. He immediately returned back to his position and laid there where she left him few minutes ago. He tried to calm his heart beat down so that she wouldn't understand. Apparently she was already aware of his _extra_ gloomy moods in the morning, so he just didn't want to give her more reasons to get worried.

Rukia's foot steps got closer by seconds and now he could hear her finish climbing the stairs. The last stair was…Yup she stepped on it. Ichigo didn't move, and continued to pretend to be asleep. She gently stepped on the bed and Ichigo felt her inching closer to him. She just came and lay down on his chest, right above his heart. Her right hand was caressing his side while the left was resting on him next to her head. She sighed heavily and rubbed her smooth cheek to his chest. Instinctively Ichigo's arm moved and hugged her around her shoulders, she shivered under his hand which was holding her shoulder, but Ichigo didn't move. His heart beat was under control and his breathing wouldn't give away his non-sleeping form. Upon years of training, arriving home nearly in the morning and faking sleep when his dad was checking on him to wake him up, he learned how to fake sleeping. So there was no problem for him and he doubted that Rukia was experienced with sleeping man. But maybe he should give some though on it.

"You are a good boy and you…just don't deserve it," her silent murmur tore him away from his inner thoughts. His heart felt like tearing into two and he started to panic about the meaning of the sentence. What was that suppose to mean?!

"Its just…he is going to do it again…I just hoped he didn't find out," after saying that she turned her face towards his and she was probably watching his face right now. Ichigo tried his best to stay calm but it was too exhausting when he wanted to grab her and ask her what she meant. He could feel her long eyelashes rubbing the skin of his chest as she blinked in every few seconds. His senses was in an over-drive since this, Rukia touching him, was the most anticipated action on his side. Her soft lips slowly met with the skin over his breastbone and she silently murmured something into his chest. Ichigo cursed every existence he knew on the planet earth and this was the last straw. He slowly blinked his eyes, like he was waking up for the first time and looked down at the figure that was half lying on him. He arched an orange eyebrow and tightened his grip on her shoulder. She raised her head and moved closer to his face with a soft smile on her lips just before she pressed her lips to his, not too gently but not too invitingly either. Ichigo let himself go and his heart felt happy to be able to beat like it wanted to beat, like it was crazy.

She kept her lips pressed to him up until her hand reached his face and caressed his cheek gently. Ichigo's other arm immediately circled her waist as they started to lay on their sides, facing each other, their lips only inches away. Her breathing was calm, Ichigo could say that from the puffs of breath that was caressing his face gently. But he was not near anything calm. Surely in their _intimate_ position, Rukia must have felt _something_ that shouldn't be there, especially in such a tender moment where she was not as excited as he was. But Ichigo was a man and being touched by the girl he was crazy in love with was not helping him right now. He felt her smooth elegant leg rising as she dropped it over his hip bone and pulled him closer. Ichigo felt lost, even though they have done it so many times he still felt insecure at some point. Surely he could satisfy her and surely he knew her signals but lately he felt _very_ insufficient in reading them. He wanted to kiss her so badly that he was about to pass out. But Rukia, thankfully, took the action and pulled his face towards her which gave Ichigo the push that he needed.

He grabbed the back of her head and pressed his lips onto hers for a searing kiss. His tongue invaded her mouth immediately since it was the only thing that he could think of while she was lying next to him for all those days. Unexpectedly she fought back eagerly, her nails gripping his shoulders before hugging his shoulders to keep him closer to her. The hand that was on the back of her neck slid down and he held her face there, deepening the kiss. He delved his tongue into her again, tasting everything in reach, kissing with Rukia has always been the highlight of his day and it was more satisfying than anything he had ever experienced. She knew exactly how he wanted to be kissed, she knew what to do while kissing him, like intervening her delicate fingers with his wild orange mane, or rubbing his neck, or hugging him tightly enough to make him feel that he wouldn't lose this feeling for eternity. She just knew him so well.

When his hand reached its destination he cupped her breast completely as he ran his thumb over it and caused a heart-throbbing moan came out of her delicious mouth. His tongue took advantage of the moment and wrapped itself around hers, sucking and coaxing her own, in an attempt to entice it to follow him home. At this point he selfishly wanted to make her scream, but more than anything else he wanted so badly for her to want him. He wanted her to tell him to bury himself deep inside of her so deep that he couldn't be removed for eternity. He wanted her to admit that she needed him, just like he need her…was still needing her. After so many weeks of waiting and ripping a confession out of him, she owed him that much.

But Rukia had other plans. She definitely was not going to give in because she just didn't want to get hurt if things went wrong within the following days. This was not like having an argument with your lover, one man's decision could change everything for them. She was all too aware what Ichigo wanted and needed. She needed him too, she missed him so badly and she hated giving him the cold shoulder at the point of self-loathe, she didn't think he deserved that. She was a person who couldn't be put out with someone more than few minutes, and she definitely didn't like playing with people's emotions, not that she was playing with Ichigo's, mind you. She actually told him that she loved him many times, it was just that he couldn't hear them, she couldn't risk that, at least not now. She felt like her sanity slipping away as he continued to knead her breast enthusiastically, probably planning to coax her into something more. She just let him be for the moment but she knew that she had to take matters into her own hands by the time she was lying flat on her back with a horny Ichigo, pushing his tongue down her throat while his hand was sneaking away to yank her panties. She gently tried to push him but he didn't get it. She tried to shove him away but he didn't get it either.

The third trial was a success but it cost her the flimsy night-shirt that she was wearing. He was just taking his boxers off when Rukia grabbed his arm to get his attention. But before she could say anything, his boxers were off and his tongue was back in her mouth, fighting with hers. When his devilish hands reached the hem of her panties, she tore her mouth from his and grabbed his determined limb, stopping his fingers inches away from their destination.

"Wh-what," he asked hoarsely. She just cupped his face with her free hand and looked into his chocolate brown orbs, which were dominated by the black color of his irises by now.

"Not now Ichigo," she said, almost out of breath. She was breathing as harshly as Ichigo, thanks to his mind-blowing, body-numbing kisses.

"Wha-Why," he asked breathing harshly and buried his face into her shoulder, his hot rhythmic breath caressing her soft shoulders. Her arm circled his neck and she grabbed the short hair that was at the back of his neck.

"I know you want it…but its not the right time," she whispered hotly in his ear while still holding his hand on the same spot.

"How could you possibly kno-" but before he could finish he felt Rukia's small hand closing around his manhood and all the air he had in his lungs left him. He instinctively jerked in her hand and closed his eyes, still holding his breath.

Ichigo could feel himself losing control. Kuchiki Rukia was about to give him a hand job and to think that she would do something like this to him, for him, it was too much for his mind to handle. He didn't know how she knew this, whether she learned this from someone or if she was just trying but it was simply mind-blowing. His brain nearly did a short circuit when her hand quickened its pace The way her hand was moving and gripping and touching him, it was a struggle for him to think straight, especially when he needed her this much. Her touch was both pain and pleasure, and he really didn't know how to handle it. He groaned deep in his throat and almost painful moan was heard when her finger reached the base again and again.

He groaned and grabbed Rukia's hand to raise it and put it on his shoulder, next to its twin, as he crushed his lips to hers and grabbed her ass to gyrate against her. At least her heat would help him feel that it was a little more realistic, mixed with the wetness of her panties. When he pushed himself harder against her, she mewled and her hands started to move on his back. She scratched his back, pulled him closer and grabbed his orange locks while he kissed her like there was no tomorrow. But If Rukia knew something it was that Ichigo would never feel satisfied with just this. She knew it was not enough for him, as it was not enough for her too. She felt like she was torturing him so she decided to end it as her hand reached down and gave him a squeeze in the balls.

Within seconds Ichigo reached the edges of bliss. He exploded with such force that he wondered if he was really going to pass out. His jerked a few more times against her as she gripped him tightly, holding onto him for dear life. Ichigo panted as he finished completely. His body was lying above hers but he could feel himself shaking. He opened his eyes and stared down at Rukia. Her cheeks were pink and she was wearing a sweet smile that made his heart melt right then and there, her eyes were passionately shining and dazed.

"Wh-what a-about you," he whispered, his voice still lost to him, as he tried to rise himself on his shaking arms.

"Its ok," she replied before reaching and pulling his face to kiss him as gently as possible.

"Its not ok Rukia," he said hotly looking down at her with burning eyes, he couldn't help but continued, "And by the way are you planning to tell me what the hell is wrong," he suddenly got angry. This was it. He had it up to his limit and he needed an explanation.

"What? I do you a favor and you get angry because it wasn't in the way you want?! Get a grip Ichigo, life does not always bring what you want," she threw back at him and struggled to move but Ichigo pinned her down, holding her wrists.

"Favor? I didn't ask you to do me a _favor_. I didn't ask for anything. All I'm asking is to know what the fuck is going on," he whispered between clenched teeth and squeezed Rukia's wrists harder.

"Nothing is going on! You don't have to know everything, you don't have to be active in every part of my life," she replied hotly. Ichigo pinned her hands above her head with one hand and cupped her face with the other. He kept her face steady so that they were looking into each other's eyes. He saw her indigo orbs burning which was probably mirroring his.

"Listen to me, for I will say this only once. I am your lover, I am your boyfriend and I am your friend. I am the guy who you practically live with, who you return from a hard day of life and I am the guy who foolishly loves you. I WILL be active in ALL parts of your life, one, because I am not passive as you so subtly pointed, and two because its my responsibility. Now let me tell you this; being passive and cool are different things. Just because I'm being cool doesn't mean that I don't care. I am simply giving you your space, but I can only give that much since I am not a patient person. I don't give a flying fuck about who approves or not, it is a _fact_ that we are in a relationship, in a permanent relationship none the less. Its their choice to support us or not. And since this is a _relationship_ it takes two parties to communicate. You have two days to sort everything out and by the end of the second day if you don't come and spill the beans neither Ashido nor your Nii-sama can stop me from what I will do," he finished as his thumb started to caress her cheek. She diverted her gaze from his eyes.

Rukia was dumbfounded since she wasn't expecting Ichigo to respond like that. But that was her fault since he was not the most patient person as he stated so clearly. The moment he let her hands go she rose on her elbows but she still couldn't look him in the eye.

"I guess I should take a shower…I'm going to go for Christmas shopping," she said as she tried to move herself on the bed. When she got out of the bed Ichigo grabbed her wrist and turned her towards him.

"Now say that again," he demanded.

"Say what again," she asked.

"What you are going to do," he replied.

"I'm going to take a shower and then go for gift shopping," she repeated almost in a mocking tone.

"What I meant for you to tell the truth, not repeat the previous line," he said with a cold tone.

"Are you assuming that I am lying to you," she asked with an almost unbelieving tone.

"Truth can be told in many ways. I don't specifically say that you are lying," he responded nonchalantly.

"I'm gonna go to my house pick my car and then meet with Shinji for some shopping because I'm planning to buy lingerie for Rangiku and Hiyori. Then we will grab something to eat before we start shopping for your family and you. Now since I told you the truth and nothing but the truth why don't you ask me what you really want to know," she was rather angry with him and his attitude. He smiled smugly.

"I don't know why we play these stupid games since we both are intelligent people with highly observant personalities but I guess its just who we are…I wanted to know if you were going to meet with Ashido today," he replied, still not letting go of her wrist.

"No," was the short answer he got before she pulled her hand back and left him naked sitting on his bed.

If everything went according to Ichigo's plans, there would be no obstacles left on their way after Christmas. Now all he had to do was to find Kano Ashido and listen to him…Or rather he could wait for the man to come for him since he knew what Ashido might want to do with him.

Yes indeed…this Christmas was going to be an exciting one…

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**rabbit is back:** this was a longer chapter than the previous one and I guess I made some points very clear, at least as subtly as I can. I am so sorry for the grammar mistakes etc, just forgive me for a while. Now tell me what do you think and where do you think this is going. What might Ashido be planning? My kind hearted Rukia is back and now its Ichigo's turn to prove his reckless and brash nature against all odds. If some of you know the story of Hansel and Gretel there is a cross reference to the story. The back ground info for the story can be found in here: en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Hanse & Gretel(without the spaces). Now if you wish, you can support and encourage your bunny writer with your thoughts and critics about the chapter (what makes you happy and what pissed you off). I will continue to write for you guys but I don't know when the next update will come because I'm going abroad, I might not be able to reach my account but I shall give it a try for you.

oh and I know I'm getting rust when it comes to write smut _-snorts-_ this was the first time in a long time(that I realized) I wrote something smutty...

And and one more thing before you go and press that little reply button, please take a few minutes and vote in the poll that I put on my profile. That would help me to understand my position in between you guys. Self-development is a must!

Cheers!


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer:** not mine! The song also belongs to most talented, Trent Reznor!

**rabbit talks: **My dear readers there is only one chapter-excluding the epilogue- left to write in this story. Its basically my most beloved one. This chapter is one of the longest that I have posted for this story, and I hope you will enjoy every single word. It took me sometime, actually the 75% of it was done two weeks ago but those two weeks were hectic, so bear with me. My beta is found, she was busy but she edited the last two chapters, which I will replace as soon as possible and I will also send this to her, but for now its unedited. Read and review, I shall send a box of cookie for every review!

You and me

We're in this together now

None of them can stop us now

We will make it through somehow

You and me

If the world should break in two

Until the very end of me

Until the very end of you

Awake to the sound as they peel apart the skin

They pick and they pull

Trying to get their fingers in

Well they've got to kill what we found

Well they've got to hate what they fear

Well they've got to make it go away

Well they've got to make it disappear

The further I fall I'm beside you

As lost as I get I will find you

The deeper the wound I'm inside you

For ever and ever I am a part of

_We're in This Together Now-part 1- _

Ichigo has never felt so relieved within the past week. This morning's talk with Rukia was something that was keeping him on the edge for a long time. Come to think of it, Ichigo felt proud for making her understand whatever he was exactly feeling. At least that was what he thought…

_Rukia walked out of the bathroom with a scowl on her face and walked past Ichigo to reach to her jeans that were lying on the floo__r from the previous night. Ichigo laid there, with his hands behind his head, where she left him, still naked, and continued to watch her every move, his eyes practically glued to her._

_"For your information that speech was not intimidating at all and I don't do things just because people tell me to do," she said with a harsh tone, but Ichigo knew very well that she was trying to digest what happened few minutes ago and he knew that it was touching her nerves as he continued to keep his cool._

_"Then pray tell how do you explain your obedience to your Nii-sama," he asked very calmly, like he wasn't the one who gave that heated speech to her while he was on top of her. She looked over her shoulder before opening the door of the closet, and Ichigo could swear that he saw real anger there. It must have felt good since she was keeping it all inside…_

_"Ichigo there are things that you should stay out of when it comes to my life. I grew up in a society that you have no idea. People are different and their judgments are different from you or anyone out there aside from themselves. You are just making it harder for me," she said with a calm tone. Ichigo knew that she was angry but she wasn't showing it, she was just trying to stay cool, just like she always did. Cool and controlled. He didn't want her to stay cool but he realized that he couldn't push her further. This would only make things worse for them. He slowly rose from the bed, in his all glory, and started to walk towards the bathroom door. Just after turning the door knob, he sighed and looked over his shoulder._

_"And I told you so many times that I don't give a flying fuck who those people are and what they think of. Whether I chose to be with you or vice-a-versa is our business. No one can pass judgment on my behalf and I will not let them do the same thing for you. We are in this together now," he said before pushing the wooden door open to his fancy marble bathroom. The only thing he heard was a low murmur of stupid and she was gone when he was out of the bathroom._

As he stood behind the bar with Shuuhei on his side, he felt happy. For an unknown reason he had the feeling that today was going to be a day that would change everything in his understanding of Rukia's world.

Today was probably a regular day for many people but for Ichigo it had a meaning, it was going to be the happiest Christmas that he had since his mother's death.

As he looked around the club he saw his old friends and new friends working together to decorate the club for the Christmas celebrations. Some guy booked the club to throw a party on Christmas Eve. He was most definitely a guy who didn't have a place to go for Christmas and decided to drag his friends among with him.

His process of thinking was interrupted by the sight of his friend. He saw Shuuhei coming towards him with party decorations all over his body (especially in his unruly midnight locks); he looked ridiculous with those pink frilly decorations. They were trying to build a new sound system with Renji while girls were re-decorating the hall (and harassing Shuuhei) for more people. Ichigo saw Hiyori trying to hit an amused Renji while Risa was trying to hold her back, as much as a person could hold a 5 feet, breatsless female prodigy. He realized the absence of Shinji and couldn't help but ask.

"Oi, Hiyori where the hell is blondie," he yelled from the bar.

"That stupid baldy went out for shopping with Rukia I guess. Why do you ask," she yelled back from the hall.

"Nah, it's pretty rare to see him separated from you. Your bickering started to sound like music after some time," Ichigo said as he smiled at the now fuming female. Seriously, today he felt like he could do everything! He grinned wickedly.

"Why the hell are you grinning like a Cheshire cat," Shuuhei asked with an unbelieving tone.

"No reason, I just feel happy," Ichigo answered him nonchalantly as he grabbed the bottle of Safari from the shelf.

"No reason my ass. I wasn't the one who was whining like a little girl, saying 'oh my girlfriend doesn't love me, I should kill that guy so she can love me and only me'," Shuuhei mocked him, imitating Ichigo with a girlish tone.

"Remind me to kill you later," he said dryly as he poured the orange liquid into two cups.

"Oh boy, we are going to drink in the morning! Something insanely strange must have happened," Shuuhei said while taking his shot from Ichigo.

"Well, not necessarily my friend. Actually I decided to let Rukia know what I think," he said, which caused Shuuhei to spew what was in his mouth. Ichigo wiped the bar and his arm with a towel, giving it to Shuuhei to clean himself.

"You _let_ Rukia know?!?! Are you insane, what the hell were you thinking," he asked, rather crazed. On the other hand Ichigo was very calm, almost in a scary way. Shuuhei knew that side of him very well. That attitude of Ichigo was something that he was used to rather than this new sensitive Ichigo.

"I don't know why you are panicking so much," Ichigo stated calmly but the only thing that Shuuhei could do was to look at him, gaping like a fish.

"Panicking so much?!? I can almost visualize your asshole-ish attitude towards her!! I'm sure you proved yourself to be an A-class bastard," he said with a freaked out tone. Ichigo blinked and looked at his friend.

"Why would you think that," he asked incredibly oblivious.

"You can't be serious Ichigo," Shuuhei said, putting his shot-glass down, ready to explain him in detail. Ichigo was just about to answer him, he saw a bubbly Rangiku coming towards them bouncing up and down so he shut his mouth. Though Shuuhei was looking at Ichigo dumbfounded, he blushed a deep crimson when Rangiku hugged him from behind, trying to smother him against her breasts. Ichigo was sure that Shuuhei would stop breathing not because of the physical obstacles, but because of something different…maybe a sudden rush of blood to somewhere might have left his poor heart weak and cause a sudden death or simply he could lose too much blood due to heavy nose-bleed. Ichigo smirked and shook his head.

"You guys drink without me," Rangiku nearly sang. Ichigo took another shot-glass out and poured some Safari for her too.

"Oh my dear, pour me sake, this is for pussies," she cheered and Ichigo snorted, pushing the shot glass towards Shuuhei, pouring a new one to Rangiku.

"So what were you guys talking about," she asked cheerfully, looking from Ichigo to Shuuhei.

"About this and that," Ichigo answered dryly.

"I'm sure it is," she said wearing a knowing smile on her face, and then she added, "how is everything with Rukia?"

"Good," he answered shortly as he took a sip from his glass.

"Really? Because I haven't been able to talk to her lately," she said calmly.

"She is good," he replied shortly.

"Well of course she is, Ashido is here," she said, shrugging, like it was the most natural thing in the world. But before Ichigo could ask what she meant, the double glass doors of the club banged open and a fuming Shiba Kaien entered to the now deserted club. Everyone turned and looked at the crazed young man. He wasn't expected in here, not to mention that he was unwelcomed.

"Where the fuck is he," he nearly yelled, breathing from his nose. His fists were clenched beside him.

"Where is who," Rangiku asked calmly, as she sipped from her sake, while the rest of the crew was standing rooted to their spots. Hiyori was holding some decoration stuff in her hands which she was trying to hang with the help of Risa and Renji few minutes ago.

"That stupid bastard! I'm gonna fucking kill him," he yelled. Rangiku arched an eyebrow and her face was serious for the first time since Ichigo knew her.

"I presume you are talking about Ashido," she started dryly and continued with the same tone," I'm afraid we have no idea where he is, as you might guess."

"And where is Rukia," he asked still breathing harshly.

"She is doing her Christmas shopping," came the not-so-familiar voice of Kano Ashido who was standing next to the glass double doors with his hands in his pockets. He was dressed in black trousers and a black shirt that made him look like a member of the MOB., "I knew you would come here first," he said as he walked in to the hall.

"You stupid bastard!!! What the fuck you were thinking?!?! Where was your head at," Kaien yelled at the maroon haired man who was as cold as an iceberg.

"The last time I checked I didn't have to explain myself to a person like you," he said crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive mode. Everyone was watching them like they were watching a tennis match in Wimbledon. That became something regular since the arrival of the mysterious noble

"Of course you have to, since I'm standing here just because you decided to gather the freaking noble assembly. Kano what the hell is going on," Kaien asked.

"What is happening is not important. I just want something from you, that's why you are here," he answered Kaien calmly, unfolding his arms and putting his hands back in his pockets again.

"What the hell? Did you become the new king of the _jungle_ during my absence," Kaien yelled but Ashido was still passive. He stood calmly without changing his previous position next to the door. Everyone was watching them and Ashido was probably aware of that.

"That's true," he answered Kaien's question who was dumbfounded and silence at the moment.

"Come again?"

"I'm the next king, coming after Byakuya. That's why we are standing here. I need your family's support in the assembly," now Ashido was talking.

"Well I wasn't aware of that _minor_ detail," Kaien sighed and continued, "You know very well that my sister is the head of the Shiba clan, you have to get her support."

"I talked to her but she is planning something different."

"What do you mean planning," Kaien asked.

"Look I'm here because someone who is powerful has to _claim_ Rukia. If that happens to be Takamura family or, god forbid, Hakuren, we won't be able to see Rukia again. And I highly doubt that Byakuya would want that," Ashido stated. By now Kaien was calmed down and turned into his rare serious self. He looked thoughtful and concerned upon hearing those names.

"That's why he called you here," Kaien was starting to understand now.

"He didn't exactly call me, that's what I told Rukia, but the truth is different," Ashido started as he walked towards hall and stood in front of Kaien, "My mom called me and told me that Rukia was with a _commoner_."

"I'm sure you already knew that," Kaien snorted as he stated dryly.

"Of course but if my mom knew then that meant the whole noble world was all too aware of that fact. And probably she was personally informed by Byakuya, knowing that the news will reach to me."

"He wanted you to know," that wasn't a question on Kaien's side. Ashido nodded with a wicked grin plastered on his face.

"The sooner we finish this the sooner she will be set free," Ashido said.

"Just let her finish her school," Kaien said.

"She can do whatever she pleases. Actually she will be moving to a new apartment complex, the one that her _boyfriend_ lives in, with in next month but I just don't know how to break that news to her. I swear up on Kami she is going to kill me," he said as he ruffled his own maroon hair in a boyish manner. Rangiku couldn't help but smile when his mask of superiority fell and his boyish side came out.

"And what will Byakuya tell if he learns that you let Rukia loose," Kaien asked curiously.

"I will tell him to mind his own fucking business, that she is my responsibility now."

"What about my sister's support," Kaien asked.

"She is going to give it to another person. Lets say an old friend of her who has been working on this _project_ for a long time," Ashido summarized what he knew. Stupid Kukkaku was working hand in hand with Shihouin Yoruichi to get Kurosaki Masaki's son for Rukia. Somehow Ichigo's mother was friends with Rukia's father back in the Academy and they used to joke about marrying their kids. But unfortunately Rukia's parents died and not long after them, Ichigo's mother joined them in heaven. That information was one hard piece to obtain for Ashido but nothing was impossible.

"She only talks with Shihouins," Kaien informed, he probably had no idea what was going on. Stupid man was never looking out for any facts or clues. Seriously, what was wrong with Shibas? Did they lose their heads after some certain age?

"So?" Ashido smirked, almost trying to hint him, but the poor sod would never think something like that.

"I highly doubt Yoruichi decided to marry a woman," and there it was. Kaien proved him right one more time.

"No…Lets say that she was looking at her for a _friend's_ son. She was probably planning to put them together in the academy but you know Byakuya. He wouldn't let Rukia to go to a school that was full with her father's friends."

"I'm sorry about that," Kaien said with a sad and apologetic tone. Ichigo arched an elegant eyebrow. Why was he apologizing anyway?

"You did the best you could, I guess. Photography? Come on Kaien, couldn't you find something better," Ashido smirked.

"Why didn't you try then," he said on reflex.

"Well I couldn't, but she is pretty good with that so I guess its ok," he shrugged and put his hands in his pockets then he continued, "It would be better if she could go to that Academy, they would meet earlier so that we wouldn't have to panic so much." At that point a handful of people(Shuuhei, Renji and Risa) started get some clues about what they were talking about. Of course by the end of the talk only Shuuhei and Risa, excluding Ichigo who already solved the cryptic way that Ashido was talking, would be able to come to a conclusion.

The person that was suppose to meet with Rukia at the academy was Ichigo, that part was clear for them. But only very few people could understand why they couldn't, because again only a handful of them knew about Ichigo's past, especially those days.

"I don't think it would be good for us to send her to that Academy and who the hell is 'they'? You weren't the one who had to deal with a pissed of Kuchiki Byakuya here," Kaien said as nonchalantly as possible. He asked the question that everyone was curious about. Who were they?

"We didn't have to deal with him specifically," Ashido replied.

"Really? You say it like its nothing."

"It might be something for you but dealing with Byakuya requires only one thing; guts. If a person can hospitalize Grimmjaw and Kenpachi then he can definitely stand against Byakuya," Ashido said, revealing another fact that he found out during his research about Kurosaki Ichigo. Of course he was surprised when he learned that but he could almost visualize Ichigo in a cage fight, he saw the beast behind his eyes once and he was sure as hell that the information was right.

"Kenpachi?!?! You mean the one with a bloodthirsty midget of a cheerleader?!? Do you know who did that?" Kaien's head snapped and asked. Again Kaien wouldn't even consider Kurosaki as an option, but he was sure that Ichigo was listening to him with full attention.

"Yeah I do know…" he knew, he wouldn't lie about that. Besides he wanted Kurosaki Ichigo to know that he was capable of getting information and that he knew every shit about him. It was almost like a pissing contest between them. Both were very territorial and Ashido wouldn't leave his territory into hands of a man who didn't deserve to be there.

"Just give me the name and I will kill him, because I freaking lost half of my savings," Kaien got angry since he used to bet on cage fights without his sister's knowledge but Ashido was cool and smirking.

"If it was that easy he would get killed by now, don't you think?"

"Wait a minute! What are you planning?!?You are not planning to hire the guy to kill Byakuya right," that was Kaien for you again.

"I didn't say he was a killer. He just has _guts_ but he lacks the brain. Its probably because he got so many hits to the head," Ashido said as his eyes met with brown ones that was burning with rage. Now he was sure that Ichigo understood his point. _Are you afraid of them knowing?_ He asked mentally, like Ichigo could hear his thoughts.

"I didn't know Grimmjaw was hospitalized. I left after I lost so much on Kenpachi, though I would gladly pay to see that. I changed my mind give me his name and I shall send him flowers with a thank you card," Kaien said as he scratched the back of his neck.

"It probably only caused problems with Aizen Sasuke, other than that I'm sure he deserved what he got…Grimmy-ass I mean, he was after my sister when she decided to go punk and dyed her hair green," Ashido said with a bitter face and nonchalant voice.

"By the way Shidou house is put on auction. Did you know about that," Kaien said suddenly. Oh Ashido was well aware of that fact. And he knew why it was put on auction. It was because Aizen Sasuke hated Kurosaki Ichigo who was currently in a relationship with Kuchiki Rukia who was the real heiress of the Shidou mansion. To put simply, Aizen didn't want them to be happy.

"I know…I'm bidding, but some _crazy bastard_ is bidding with me and I guess we are competing for nothing…" again Ashido's eyes met with Ichigo's, like he was trying to convey a message. And the message hit its home. Ichigo was enraged, learning that Ashido was the other guy who was bidding for the house made him see red. But he was going to be the one to get that freaking mansion! He wasn't going to lose to a stupid bastard like Ashido. Even if he had to lose every yen he had, he was going to buy that house! And he was going to live happily ever after in that place _with_ Rukia.

"Can you get it," Kaien asked.

"I think I can deal with the _other party_," he answered still looking at Ichigo but Kaien looked as oblivious as possible. He looked like he was thinking something but Ichigo highly doubted that it was something useful.

"Maybe we should hire that guy and pull a MOB trick on Byakuya," he blurted out. Ashido arched an eyebrow.

"Kaien, you are a good man with a kind heart but sometimes your brain stops working so badly that I want to bash your head to somewhere just to make it work again," Ashido brushed off his proposal and turned towards the door to leave.

"By the way, the dinner is tonight at eight. I will inform the front door about your arrival, as my guest. You know that the Kuchiki mansion is behind the park, like 50 feet or something away from the white building with a lake," he said. Kaien looked at him dumbfounded.

"Man, I know where the house is. Besides I will come with my sis and bro, so I guess there is no need for that much security. I know Byakuya hates me but I guess he wouldn't leave me out," Kaien laughed and shook his head. Ashido smirked, that information was not for him and he was as sure as his name that the message reached its target.

"I just wanted to inform…that is if you have enough _guts,_" he said as he started to walk outside of the club.

"Geez, now we have to deal with this bastard," Kaien said as he scratched the back of his neck and walked towards the bar, "Pour me some sake too, loverboy," he ordered Ichigo mockingly.

"Stop calling me that," Ichigo objected.

"What? Problems in paradise," Kaien asked, again mocking him, but he didn't know the fact that this boy who was standing behind the bar was the exact person that Ashido was talking about.

"No," Ichigo answered curtly.

"Sure, sure. Like I don't know how _they_ are when they are together," he said as he sipped his sake.

"Just tell me when I'm going to get my beloved Rukia back," Ragiku sang, throwing her arm around Kaien's shoulder. The man didn't even flinch or blush, he was perfectly neutral as he continued to sip his sake.

"How about never. If Ashido is back, he is back forever. Probably he will be the guy who will hold Rukia's hand, instead of her future husband, while she is giving birth. Rukia has to create a balance in between, because I know that he is not going to back down. And she is too used to him to give up this kind of support and comfort," Kaien reasoned for Rangiku. She snorted.

"Like hell I will let her! He doesn't even have breasts!! He can't be a friend like a girl! But let me ask you something. What happened?" Rangiku asked as she pouted cutely.

"You want the long or the short version?"

"Make a mix,"

"Ashido got caught with his hands in her knickers and told Kuchiki Byakuya to mind his own _fucking_ business. He was shipped of to U.S within the next 3 days."

"The long version?"

"They got caught making out in the broom closet during high school, Byakuya forbid them to stay alone together. He hired new guards and dogs to keep him out, but of course Ashido was, and is, one stubborn bastard. One day he returned back from a business trip earlier than expected and found them making out in the bed. Ashido's mother sent him away to U.S to get on Byakuya's good side. Rukia rebelled and dropped the private school to attend a public one. And that's all…Byakuya probably was aware that all these years they kept seeing each other and more on some occasions. He is a Kano, the second most powerful of the four head-clans, from the first husband of Nel and Ashido's mother, and if Byakuya showed him as the heir of his throne, than that means he is going to give Rukia to him. That's a good choice since I know all the other options and how impossible they are," he sighed as he finished his story.

"Are you telling us that she is going to get married with that guy?!?!" Hiyori jumped from the other side, "lucky bitch," she added as she fisted her hand. Others were looking at Hiyori with unbelieving eyes.

"What? He is unreal!!" she said.

"I have to agree with that. He is cute," Rangiku sang with a sultry tone. Shuuhei snorted and Ichigo was sure that he was now sharing the same passion with him about murdering that guy.

"Technically speaking, yes. But I'm sure Ashido has a back up plan somewhere…He won't marry Rukia,"

"Why not? Surely he loves her."

"But Rukia doesn't love him. Besides love has many ways. And I'm sure Ashido will never get married for the sake of staying by her side but he wouldn't ever force her into something that she wouldn't want. For gods sake he is talking about moving Rukia into the same apartment complex with the loverboy! Though he is a bastard, his soft spot is Rukia. She can make him do whatever she wants and trust me when I say this, Kanos never do what people tell them to do." He put his sake glass down and rose form his stool, "I better go. I have to deal with my crazy sister at home, and then there is this Christmas dinner and noble's assembly," he said before he put his hands in his pockets and started to walk towards the door.

"But she doesn't have to necessarily marry him, right?" Renji asked from behind.

"If someone has guts enough to tell Byakuya otherwise then she will. And when I talk about guts, I don't mean someone who will just come out and claim her. He needs to be able to prove his capability to him in more than one ways. That's why Ashido was chosen. Though his act put him on exile for years, in the end he was the one who Byakuya turned and asked for help in a sense. Its very hard for you to understand such traditions and stuff but that's a part of our daily lives and we deal with it. We, Ashido and I, just didn't want Rukia to get involve in this shit." He sighed and pulled the glass doors open, leaving others behind to think.

But surely one of them was going to think more…

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Ichigo was standing in front of the mirror in his bathroom, trying to shave. He was just out of the shower, with a towel wrapped around his torso. He was getting ready for tonight's dinner. His presents were ready. He bought a signed(by Zidane Zidan) soccer uniform for Karin and limited edition of Grey' Anatomy director's cut for Yuzu, the girl was swooning over .

As he continued to shave, he heard his door opening and closing. Only one person had the key and she was probably here to bring his sisters' Christmas presents. He didn't change his position and continued to shave as she knocked on his bathroom door. He put his razor down and opened the door.

"I wasn't expecting you this late," Ichigo said as he stood leaning against the doorframe, like this was the door of his house and she was the neighbor asking for some sugar.

"I told you that I was going to shop for your sisters' presents," she said as she put down the paper-bags near the bed.

"You better start getting ready, or we will be late," he said, knowing all too well how her answer was going to be. He knew that she wasn't coming and her silence only proved him right.

"I won't be able to attend tonight's dinner with your family," she said with a broken voice. Up until now Ichigo wanted her to admit that to him so badly that he didn't once stop and thought that maybe she wanted to come and have Christmas dinner with them. Her sad voice broke his heart and his mood got darker as he cursed himself for being the stupid man he was.

"Why is that," he asked like he didn't know. But words left his lips without his control.

"Nii-sama expects me to attend the dinner with them. He is having guests and I have to attend as the other heir of Kuchiki family," she reasoned. Ichigo leaned down and pressed his lips to hers as his hands found her arms and grabbed them to pull her towards him.

"I'm sorry," she said against his lips, "please tell your father that I will visit them as soon as possible," she added before pushing Ichigo away gently. He let go of her reluctantly and sighed.

"I thought that was going to be our first Christmas together but its ok, there is still next year," he said flashing a charming smile that made Rukia smile too, but she couldn't reply to that since she wasn't sure what was going to happen even tomorrow. She rose on her tiptoes and hugged Ichigo's cool body before putting a kiss on his shoulder.

"I will call you tomorrow, ok," she asked and he nodded. She smiled and turned back to go down-stairs. She was happy that Ichigo was back to his understanding persona.

But little she knew that he was planning something that was going to turn her world upside down.

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As she drove back to her own house she couldn't help but think that Ichigo backed down and accepted that she was not going to attend his family dinner a little too easily, like he wasn't the one who gave her that speech.

To be honest she wasn't expecting such a response from him but then again Ichigo was a type who always did the most unexpected thing. She really went and found someone _extraordinary._Though if she could change, she wouldn't change a single thing about Ichigo. Sometimes she even thought what would happen if they met earlier, like during the days when he was attending the Academy. She really wanted to go that academy but then Kaien came and lured her to photography. At that time she thought following Kaien would help her to get him and also would help her to get away from those daily noble shits. If she let them decide she would end up being a lawyer or an executive to some of the corporations that the Kuchikis have. She really thought that she saved her own self from a life time torture. What was more that Ashido actually supported her in her decision, which was something that she didn't expect since he hated Kaien with his guts. As she thought of Ashido and Kaien, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of Christmas this was going to be.

She was expecting something outrages because that was Ashido and he always had a new trick in his sleeves to piss Nii-sama off. He was even getting angry just because she was calling him Nii-sama, which was totally ridiculous. Rukia was not someone who held a grudge against people let alone someone who kept her away from orphanages or foster parents, and made her sister happy even if for some limited time. No, she knew how to appreciate things and she was forever grateful to him. He even let her live alone, as free as she could be, objecting the elders of his family. She knew those, she also knew his cold side, but that didn't change anything. She never expected a warm hug or a brotherly kiss from him. Sometimes she even went as far as thinking that whatever he did, he did it because he didn't have much choice. She always forced herself to look at the bigger picture, or else she wouldn't be able to stay happy and healthy by thinking that she was doomed and she couldn't have anything etc.

Especially lately, regarding Ichigo, she started to think different. She might ask Nii-sama for his permission to let her be with Ichigo. And maybe he could even let her for sometime. And if she was to be engaged with Ashido she was sure as hell that he would let her stay with Ichigo until the time comes for the real event, the marriage. But the equation was changing every time she tried to add Ichigo's side. She could be with him, but what about him? He was a healthy male with lots of girls around him; he might not want to spend his most productive years with her in a never-happily-ending relationship. But that though only depressed her.

Truthfully she didn't want to think that Ichigo might choose to break up. She didn't want to think of the possibility of losing him and his over-passionate side because that was the side she loved most. Ichigo was the perfect male for her in many senses and lately he became more understanding, excluding the times when he lost his common sense and turned into a Neanderthal. She truly loved him and many times she wanted to tell that to him but that was not an option, at least for now. Maybe she was being a coward but she already lost lots of loved ones in her life and she couldn't risk another one. She just couldn't handle it if he chose to go and leave her here. Yes, he was talking like a knight in shining armor but the truth was ugly and no man would easily bow down to let the girl they cared marry another one when the time comes. And most definitely Ichigo was not a man to accept playing some sort of 'substitute'.

But there was also the fact that it was too late to turn back. They weren't in the beginning of their relationship, they passed most of the boundaries long ago and Ichigo went as far as to tell her that he loved her. So nothing seemed to be an option when it came to finding a way out. She would just accept whatever decided tonight and then break the news to Ichigo. The decision was his, since Ashido assured her about many things, and she would accept it and suffer if she had to. Besides it would hurt eventually to be torn apart with someone you loved as much as she loved Ichigo.

Some things in life were inevitable….

She slowly parked her car and ran to her apartment to take a shower and dress for the dinner. When she opened her door she immediately felt the absence of Chappy. The poor dog was also connected with Ichigo and somehow he was the only male that Chappy was fond of.

As she took her shower and towel dried her hair, she was trying to decide what to wear. She couldn't wear something revealing or too short because that was a dinner 'party' with nobles and she didn't want to look…easy. She wanted to look elegant and sophisticated, yet cute and simple. Suddenly a very deep dark violet velvet dress caught her eyes. It was a strapless thigh dress with a puffy skirt and there was a crème lace lining at the end of its skit. It was above her knees and looked cute and elegant at the same time. She also bought(with Shinji's super insistence) a new crème cashmere coat that would look well with this.

So her dress was chosen, she only had to go and try to survive tonight and then everything was going to be alright.

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"My son you look restless," cheered Isshin and jumped on Ichigo just before he could pass the door frame.

"You stupid man!!! What the hell is wrong with you!?! Can't you just treat me right once," Ichigo yelled at his father with his fist embedded into old man's face. This was something normal for them and at the moment he prayed that Rukia was not with them.

"Where is my future bride," Isshin asked with an awfully happy mood. Ichigo swore he saw hearts in his eyes! What the fuck was wrong with the goat chin?!?!

"She couldn't make it," he said coolly as he walked past his father but saw his little sister's lower lip trembling. He kneeled in front of her and put his large hand on her head and added, " but she sent you your gifts."

This didn't make a change and Yuzu started to cry this time.

"What did you do Onii-Chan? Why didn't she come? Did you two argue," she asked sniffing. His other sister, Karin was patting her shoulder with a scowl on her face.

"Just let him be, I'm sure he wanted her to come too. Just give her phone number and we will thank her for the gifts," Karin said as Ichigo nodded and walked towards the dining room.

"Where is Yoruichi-san and Urahara," Ichigo asked rather surprised. Isshin still looked too happy for his taste. It was almost suspicious.

"She is overlooking a _family_ business. Besides she was invited to some place that was more important than here," he cheered sickeningly.

"What place," he asked, arching an orange eyebrow. He was curious about the place a noble could go. It wasn't like Yoruichi was someone who supported the foolish customs of stupid nobles but she surely was after something if she was there for 'family business' which awfully sounded like some MOB job.

"Invited over a _friend's_ house, lets say. By the way are you going somewhere after dinner? You look dashing my stupid son," he said and tried to jump on Ichigo who bashed his head into the coffee table. Isshin immediately pulled himself together and eyed his son.

Ichigo was wearing a black suit tonight with a white shirt in it. It was way too classic for his taste but he couldn't decide how he should dress. He sighed and straightened his jacket.

"Seriously Ichi-nii you look handsome. Are you planning something," Karin asked crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes were roaming over his figure and Ichigo felt bad for what he was about to tell.

"I'm sorry guys but I am also invited to somewhere. This year Shuuhei and guys decided that we should get _prepared_ for the New Year's party starting from Christmas so I will be leaving after giving your gifts," he said as he took his place on the couch to give their presents.

His father was grinning like a Cheshire cat…

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Rukia parked her Lexus out of her brother's mansion. She was very nervous but she had to cool down. She didn't know how tonight was going to turn out but she could guess.

She calmly walked the long way towards the huge door and soon she was greeted by her brother's butler. The old man greeted her and took her cashmere coat off. She smiled warmly at him and walked through the hall but she saw Ashido waiting by the door of the lounge.

"It has been so long since the last time I saw you glowing like that," Ashido smirked as he complemented a blushing Rukia.

"Ashido just cut it," she whispered.

"What? The loverboy doesn't compliment you enough," he asked with a sarcastic tone before he opened the double doors, not letting Rukia to reply his sneaky remark.

Rukia was left breathless just before she could put him in his place. The whole lounge was decorated with ornamented candles and soft lightning. The huge fireplace was lit and lots of guests were sitting around it with their drinks in their hands. She took a deep breath before she stepped in and she felt Ashido's supporting hand on the small of her back.

"Relax, everything will be alright by the end of tonight," he whispered softly in her ear and then added, "besides you really look beautiful."

Rukia greeted the guests. She saw Yoruichi, wearing a glamorous(and scandalous) red dress, standing as beautiful as a goddess could be. Then next to her was the awfully hot sister of Shiba Kaien, standing side by side with her scowling brother Kaien, trapped in a suit. She tried really hard not to laugh but Kaien saw that and glared at her. And there were a few other people, including the third Shiba, invited over for dinner. She smiled at them before she took her drink and stood next to Ashido who was way too nonchalant for her taste.

"Say, Rukia how is everything going," Yoruichi asked with an amused tone. Rukia arched an eyebrow and smoothed her velvet dress.

"Its good, thanks for asking," she said obediently. Next to her Ashido was interested in their conversation.

"Really? I heard that you were invited to _somewhere_ different tonight," she pressed the issue.

"Ah but her place is next to me, ne Yoruichi-san," Ashido answered for Rukia as he sipped from his scotch. Rukia looked at him with wide eyes. Yoruichi was in a glaring contest with Ashido.

"Anyway, I would like to inform Byakua about a new development," Ashido started again and every one turned their eyes to them, Rukia stopped breathing few seconds ago, "Rukia is going to move to Tokyo apartment Complex within two weeks. I think her new house is not a proper place for her," he continued.

Rukia's jaw dropped and she grabbed his arm.

"Well I wasn't informed about that. Were you planning to tell me," she asked sarcastically. Tokyo apartment Complex?!?!? Was he out of his mind?!?! That was where Ichigo was living, what was he trying to do? Was he trying to piss Nii-sama off

"I informed Shinji, since he is the one who is dealing with your _stuff_," Ashido said without even looking at her. Rukia wanted to kick him in the balls right then and there. Byakuya was also staring at him intensely. Ashido risked a glance at him and locked his eyes with the big boss. He was almost daring him to ask about it. Ashido knew it as well as his name that Kuchiki Byakuya knew who was living in those apartments. He just arched an eyebrow and continued to stare into the steel eyes of Byakuya.

"I wasn't informed about that either," he said with an ice-cold tone. Ashido shrugged and took another sip from his crystal glass.

"I didn't think that I had to inform you about _everything_, especially if they are related with my _betrothed,"_ Ashido informed Byakuya calmly. The tension in the room could only be cut down wit a chainsaw. But before Byakuya could say anything they heard the butler clearing his throat.

"Kuchiki-dono, there is another guest waiting at the door. He is…"

"My guest. Oh and I invited my own guest over for the party. I hope its not a problem for you _Byakuya_," Ashido interfered and completed the butler's sentence calmly, with a smirk on his face. Rukia could see that he was enjoying every second of this but she couldn't guess what was waiting for her.

"Then let me introduce you," the butler started as he bowed respectfully, " Kurosaki Ichigo-sama, the son of Kurosaki Isshin-dono."

Rukia was speechless as the vision of a smirking Ichigo, wrapped up in a black suit, stood tall in the hall of her brother's mansion.

The knight in shining _black_ armor was here indeed…

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**rabbit rants:** Ichigo and Ashido are first-class bad boys!! They should be punished, ne? I can't help but wonder what is Ichigo doing there and how they are going to get themselves out of this. Don't forget to tell me what you think! Cheers…


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer:** not mine! The song belongs to Trent Reznor…

**rabbit talks:** Here is the last chapter of my ages long story. I know its been a lot, but on the way of writing this chapter I lost a person whom I loved, I finished a year in masters. With emotional ups and downs, demanding school and changing roles in the house hold, I was able to present this as soon as I was finished. I hope you will like it.

_We're in This Together- Nine Inch Nails_

You and me

We're in this together now

None of them can stop us now

We will make it through somehow

You and me

Even after everything

You're the queen and I'm the king

Nothing else means anything

_We're in This Together-Part 2_

Ichigo stood tall and proud in the hall, looking at the occupants of the room in front of him. He has never been in such a huge house before but he guessed that was how a mansion should be. He simply moved towards taking a few more steps upon his introduction by the butler of the house. He didn't have to look to see the expression on Rukia's face. He was looking at Kuchiki Byakuya, directly in the eye and he knew that Ashido was doing the same; both daring the stuck-up noble to say something.

"Ashido can we talk," Rukia asked, breaking the silence. Her voice never betraying. Ichigo thought that her tough noble side was on the surface tonight. Thank god he knew how to _warm_ his little ice-princess.

"Not now darling," he answered sweetly, dismissing her every attempt in cornering him. He was good in this game, too good if you asked Ichigo. He risked a glance at Rukia and saw her eyes burning, liquid with the rage she was feeling inside, her jaw tight and her hands fisted on her sides.

"I would _really_ like to have a few words with you," she insisted. But Ashido smiled down at her and tucked her hand in his arm affectionately. But Ichigo could almost hear the silent battle-of-wills that was going on between them.

"Since our last guest arrived. I guess we should take our places around the table," Ashido offered, like he was the owner of the house. Ichigo had no idea why he was acting like that but if Rukia's reaction was any indicator he was not doing something good, though he couldn't find it in himself to blame the man. After today, Ashido had a place in Ichigo's list of respect. The man was doing everything for Rukia. That made him an ally in his book.

As every one stood up and started to move towards the huge dining room with their drinks in their hands, Ichigo felt someone approaching behind him.

"I wasn't expecting to see you my boy," Shihouin Yoruichi purred in his ear. Ichigo shivered and glared at his editor.

"What can I say, I like surprises," he answered coolly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Since when," she asked, a little too sarcastic for his taste and walked ahead of him.

"What the hell are you doing here," came the second question form another familiar voice. But Shiba Kaien was not teasing like Yoruichi.

"None of your business," was Ichigo's reply. Shiba still had a lot to do if he wanted Ichigo's respect and cooperation.

"To hell with it. Are you ganging up with Ashido," Kaien asked. Ichigo knew he was curious. He would be more then curious if he was in Kaien's shoes.

"Does it really matter," he asked, wanting to touch his nerves for all the times he touched Ichigo's.

"If so, then the shit will hit the fan," Kaien warned.

Ichigo knew that.

And he took the risk.

He wasn't going to give up without a good fight.

And if this fight was to happen, Ichigo preferred to attack directly. Making his intention known as clearly as possible.

His message was clear tonight.

Rukia was his.

He was hers.

"Don't worry. We are in this together," came Ashido's reply from Kaien's other side. Funny that it was the same thing that Ichigo told Rukia. For a few seconds he wondered if Rukia have told Ashido about this morning.

She probably didn't. She wasn't the type to talk about such _private_ things. She was probably telling Ashido almost everything.

But not this.

Never them.

And he knew it.

They silently took their places around the table. The seat arrangement was probably made by Ashido since there was a place for Ichigo, right in front of Rukia. He apparently seated them face-to-face, calculating something that neither Ichigo nor Rukia could put their finger on, as both looked at him and thought. He just grinned smugly.

As soon as they sat, the first course was served. Ichigo looked down at the silverware, currently residing on the left and right of his plate. Only with the ones he had, a family could dine.

His gaze shifted to Rukia and he saw the little fingers of her right hand _subtly_ sliding from the first to last, and then finally tapping the first spoon on the row. She was looking directly in his eyes, and he got her message as she shifted her gaze to the other occupants of the table. Now he knew why Ashido seated him here. And what Rukia was doing.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile.

His _significant other_ was one of a kind.

"Rukia-chan I heard you had quite an _enjoying_ time while working on GAP project," They heard the head of the Shiba clan. She was beautiful in her own way and Ichigo would give her that.

"Well, yeah. The catalog will come with the winter line," Rukia replied politely, not falling for the trap, which Kukakku set.

"Now, now. She will _enjoy_ more if she is going to move into Tokyo Complex," Yoruichi tempted from the other side.

"That's something I haven't decided yet," Rukia replied, again very politely. Though Ichigo knew she was holding on to the polite edge very hard.

"Well, Shinji and Shuuhei have moved half of your staff to your apartment today. They left some of the boxes to mine before they left," Ichigo said as he spooned his soup. He could almost feel the temperature drop in the room.

"What," she asked, almost a whisper.

"I kinda pushed them. I talked to your landlord and he said some shitty stuff. To sum up we argued and I thought you should move out as soon as possible," Ashido backed Ichigo in this.

Rukia was silent.

"You did all of this without her consent," and icy tone cut through their conversation.

"By now, she is used to having things done _without_ her consent. Don't you think, Byakuya," Ashido said with a smug tone. Though Ichigo appreciated a lot of things that Ashido did, he wasn't sure that the man was playing fair.

Then again nothing was fair in love and war.

"There is a difference between you and me, Kano," Byakuya replied. There was a warning in his tone. Anyone could hear the danger that Kano Ashido was in, but the guy didn't back down.

"Yes there is. I try to give her everything she wants…deserves. You just try to take them away," and everyone was silent once again.

"Ashido," this time the warning belong to the little sister. Ashido looked at her. But he wouldn't stop now. He was going to solve this tonight. Here. Now.

He diverted his gaze from her.

"To be perfectly honest we are here tonight because we want to discuss something with you," Ashido started his explanation.

"We? You mean _Kurosaki_ and you," Byakuya stated. It wasn't a question apparently. He was catching up. Good sign, Ichigo thought.

Though they haven't discussed what they were going to talk about and how they were going to break the news to Kuchiki Byakuya, Ichigo trusted Ashido in a wickedly familiar way and so decided to follow the guy with his gut.

"Yes," Ichigo answered his non-question comment.

Kuchiki Byakuya looked at them with a long, hard and cold stare.

"We will discuss this after dinner," he said. His authority evident in his tone.

This was his house.

His territory.

His castle.

And they were trying the invade form inside.

The man had the right to defend.

But he was going to surrender.

For they were here to conquer.

The man had the right to negotiate.

For if he wanted a bloodless take over.

The rest of the dinner was _uneventful_ considering the tension in the room. Yoruichi proved her expertise in making mindless chat as she moved from topic to topic, none of them were something useful. She also got some support form the Shiba sister and even from their gentle hostess, Unohana Retsu.

By the time that dinner was over, they were full and content but still not ready to greet one person that they haven't expected at all.

Kurosaki Isshin was standing in the middle of the huge room that everyone was sitting previously, waiting for them to return back from the dining room.

Ichigo looked at him and blinked.

"I decided to join you for the brandy. Yoruichi says you have damn fine stuff here," Isshin said with a smug smile on his face. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of the trousers of his elegant black suit.

"Isshin-san," Rukia said from their behind and went to greet him. She stopped in front of him, and curtseyed a little, which reminded Ichigo the very first night they met. What an eventful night it was.

"No hugs, Rukia-chan," his insolent bastard of a father asked cheerfully, returning back to his usual idiotic self momentarily as he grabbed and bear-hugged Rukia.

"Besides you can call me papa," he cheered next to her ear and Rukia felt like fainting. She hoped to god that her Nii-sama was not paying attention enough to hear what the crazy man said.

"Your third daughter," the man asked. Rukia could almost visualize his elegant black brow arching.

"Come now, Byakuya, there is no need for jealousy. I know her since she was in diapers," he cheered again, still clutching Rukia to himself. What the hell was he talking about? She didn't know him back then. Or maybe she didn't remember much. Maybe it was back when they, her mom, dad and sister, were living in Karakura. They moved into Tokyo when her father's publisher demanded that they should be near, where they could reach him easily. Who knew, maybe if they stayed in Karakura, her parents would still be alive.

"Old man," Ichigo's voice came. It was hard and warning. Isshin let go of her.

She took a deep breath. It was not the time to deal with her old demons and what ifs. Thanks to Ichigo she had a new demon. With two heads, one had orange hair with chocolate eyes and the other had maroon hair with grey eyes. And, she guessed, if Nii-sama tried to slay them, there would be more heads to pop up.

"I don't remember you at all Isshin-san," Rukia said innocently. She was wracking her mind to remember.

"You don't," Rukia saw the old man's lower lip tremble, and when she blinked it was gone.

"I'm positive she doesn't know you," Byakuya said as he moved towards the man and his sister.

"How would you know? You haven't even met Hisana back then. They were living in Karakura," Isshin said with a serious tone. Ichigo swore his father's moods changed faster than his.

Byakuya looked at them quizzically.

"Rukia-chan don't you remember the little guy with orange hair who was always trying to pull your socks? Oh, I remember…Once Masaki and your mom took both of you to the riverside for a picnic and my idiotic son ended up throwing your rabbit plushie into the river. I don't know what you did to put him in that mood. He was a mama's boy back at then," he told the story almost too cheerfully for anybody's taste.

But Rukia vaguely remembered that plushie. Her father got that one for her third birthday. But she still didn't remember Ichigo. She could barely remember what her parents looked like, so she didn't expect to remember a boy she used to know when she was three.

"Did I do that? I don't remember her at all," Ichigo said, surprise evident in his tone.

"Well of course you knew her! Shidos and Kurosakis liked to put you two together in the same sandbox," Yoruichi came and settled into the leather couch. She motioned something for the Kuchiki butler, as she crossed her legs.

"Did they," Ice king asked skeptically.

"Yes, they did," Yoruichi's tone was absolute. There was no room for argument.

"Ah its fate then! But I highly doubt that she would forgive you for that plushie if she remembered. She is obsessed with rabbits," Ashido said from the other side. He was already seated like the others around them, relaxing as he waited for his drink.

"Yeah, I guess you haven't seen 'Chappy the motorcycler'," Ichigo asked with an amused tone. There was that smug smile which Rukia loved and hated on occasion.

"Oh no, but I know 'Chappy the Doctor' and 'Chappy the Prince of Pop'. The images still cause trauma when I remember," Ashido laughed, teasing Rukia.

The way that they talked about her Chappy Special Nightgown Series so casually, made her see red. But her face didn't betray one thing. She was going to have her revenge. She could always trash Ashido's black Enzo and threaten Ichigo to take back her typewriter.

But she decided to settle with some ego damage…for now.

"Its because your little brain can't cope with such _complicated_ images," Rukia said as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was leaning on one leg and she was tapping her other foot.

"There is nothing complicated in an image of rabbit," Yoruichi snorted playfully.

"Exactly my point," Rukia dove in for the kill.

Ashido narrowed his eyes as the staring contest went on for few more seconds until Kuchiki Byakuya cleared his throat, _subtly_.

"I think we should take our brandies in the drawing room," he offered.

Ashido rose to his feet.

"Why? You can't keep us away from gossip," Yoruichi opposed.

"Why are we leaving for another room," Ichigo questioned. Whatever he was going to say, he wanted Rukia to hear it. He wanted her see that he wanted her without any restrains, that he loved her without a doubt and he was willing to do anything and take anyone against.

"Men take their drinks in another room, talking about _business _as women sit here and gossip about anything and everything. A stupid, ages old tradition, probably remained from Victorian England era which we have no connection in a sense but nobility doesn't have to make much sense, or any sense at all," Ashido sighed and then added, addressing Yoruichi, "I think you have gossiped enough for a life time Shihouin."

"What's that suppose to mean? And don't take that tone with _our_ guests," Rukia interjected.

"Well its because she gossips _so much_ that there was a bet going on in Glory. And they tipped your boyfriend. He spilled the beans, which we will read in January issue, I guess," the way he said _boyfriend_ so causally, so open, _so_ in front of her brother made her cringe inside.

"To put it simply everyone knows," Ashido added flatly. Telling het to stop acting. Telling her to claim her lover. But she was not ready, she never felt ready to claim anything in front of her brother. She wasn't weak, no she definitely was not. But she was fed up with the rejection and loss, so she settled dealing with such problems in different ways. Using different means which usually brought her to different ends, ends like this. And Ashido liked to mess up with her plans.

"Shall we, gentlemen," came Kuchiki Byakuya's cold and demanding voice.

Women, dressed in silk and velvet and lace, sophisticated and elegant as real time princesses watched the men, who were equally dressed in hand-made, perfectly tailored or designer suits and as beautiful as they were, leave the room quietly.

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"What was that suppose to mean," Rukia questioned after a few minutes of silence. The butler brought her a glass of Martini with three olives. Yoruichi was having Scotch, Retsu had a glass of white wine in her grip, Nel was drinking an unidentified cocktail and Kukakku was having rum.

"Well there was a bet and a _huge_ pool. Everyone was curious about who was doing one Japan's hottest men. There were stakes, of course, since he liked to come to your school and act all high-and-mighty, so my reporter pushed him a little. Sorry for saying that but your man has no clue when he is being lead, subtly that is," Yoruichi sipped her Scotch with a smile on her face.

"So he said that we were dating," Rukia asked, her tone holding an edge of disbelief.

"Were?"

Rukia cocked an elegant eyebrow at Shiba Kuukaku. Why was she so interested in her love life, anyway. But she left her question unanswered as she sipped her martini with a pensive look on her face.

"Doll, that man adores you. And the fact that he just _crashed_ Kuchiki Byakuya's Christmas dinner should be your proof. I don't know what kind of declaration you are waiting for," Yoruichi pointed.

"Has it ever occurred to you that Ahido might have _lead_ him _subtly_. You just pointed how oblivious he is to such scheming," Rukia said, as her voice started to rise.

"Maybe he is doing his own scheming and Shido-nii was happened to be there," Nel interjected.

"Are you telling me that you gave up on your dream of seeing Ashido and me down the altar," Rukia teased Nel and her childhood dream of seeing her _Kia-nee and Shido-nii_ together.

"Yeah, because I never thought there would be anyone who will follow you around as passionately as Shido-nii. Apparently Ichigo will, so I simply gave up _hoping_. Besides you know mom, she will never let me marry Ichigo," Nel reasoned. Rukia looked at her with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"Like he would marry you," Kuukaku snorted.

"I can be very persuasive," Nel said calmly. Rukia didn't like the way she discussed _her_ boyfriend/lover.

"I would like to see you try," Yoruichi said with a confident smirk on her face. Rukia snorted. She knew that Ichigo was not interested in Nel. Yes he liked her as a friend, but he was not interested in the same way that he was interested in Rukia.

"He is juts being heroic. He could leave this to me," Rukia sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose impatiently.

"I believe he has a surprise for you Kia-nee," Nell said, ignoring her comment.

"Which is?"

"I can't spoil it. He invested a _huge_ amount for that. And when I say invest I mean it as a plan for future. Probably for more than two people and a dog," Nel hinted with a wicked grin.

Rukia had no idea what she was talking about.

Of course she just couldn't guess for the life of her that Ichigo has bought her ancestral home, The Shido Mansion, for her, from the clutches of Aizen, and for a hefty sum, like the quarter of his all savings.

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In the other room the tension couldn't be cut even with the antique katanas that were hanging on the wall of the said _drawing room_.

Ichigo looked around, as all of the men settled in leather armchairs or on the leather couch which was bigger than the one in the previous room.

Their drinks were served few minutes ago but the silence was still there.

"What is it that you would like to discuss with me," Kuchiki Byakuya ended the silent torture with a direct question. His cold gaze was on Ichigo but he didn't flinch, neither had he felt inferior or anything. He knew that he was better than that man on many levels and he made Rukia happier in few months than this man made in years. No little girl should burst into tears upon seeing a gift from her father, not to mention in a complete stranger's house.

"I'm sure, by now, you are aware of my relationship with Rukia," Ichigo started. He could feel Ashido's intense gaze on him but the man seemed to leave things in his hands and Ichigo was determined to do it right.

"Define your _relationship_ with my sister," Byakuya demanded, not harshly, but calmly and in an almost nonchalant way.

"We are together. And incase you ask me to _define_ together, we are together in a physical, emotional and intellectual sense. I'm her lover, her boyfriend and her friend. She and Chappy, her dog's name, has been staying with me, for quiet sometime now."

"I know her dog's name. And I know where and who she has been sleeping," Byakuya said, "I just wanted to know how you look at this," he added.

"I'm sitting in _your_ drawing room, sipping brandy in a Christmas dinner that I'm not invited by the host. How do you think I look at this," Ichigo asked, his gaze was intense and burning. But none of them could intimidate the cold man sitting in front of him.

"I'm glad you know that you are _uninvited_,"

"I don't care if you invite me or not, I fully intend to spend my Christmas with the woman I love and I definitely intend to take her to _my_ house as we depart for the evening," Ichigo said. He checked his father form the corner of his eye, old man looked pensive, looking into hazel the liquid in the large glass.

"Byakuya, you know that I will keep my promise to Shido and as well as to my wife, right," Kurosaki Isshin's voice was calm and serious. His gaze was not on his drink anymore but it was settled on the noble man.

"You promise means nothing," Byakuya said.

"To you it might not, but to me it does," Isshin answered.

"Are you planning to marry my sister, boy," Byakuya asked.

"First of all its not boy, its Ichigo. And yes I fully intend to spent my life with her but I will not ask her until she finishes her school, not that I'm sure she is going to accept. I believe she should have more time in her hands to think about life long commitments," Ichigo explained.

"Do you think a few months were enough for you to think on life-long _commitment_s," Byakuya questioned.

"I didn't need all the months we had, I knew it to moment she accepted me as who I am, as who I was."

"Who you were, and maybe are, is still problematic for me," Byakuya said as he tipped his glass and took a sip.

"That's not important. Because you are not the one to decide that," it was Ashido's turn to talk.

"Then is it you? Has he passed your _test_," Byakuya asked impatiently. Everyone in the room could guess his distaste towards the young man with maroon hair.

"Its not for me to decide either and I haven't tested him. Rukia cares about him, and for the first time in your life you have to settle with what she has decided for herself," Ashido pointed a little harshly.

"What if I don't?"

"Then we will watch your sister become a trophy wife to some MOB-ally, nouveau riche, who will cheat on her or treat her like less than who she is. Are you willing to take the risk," Kaien asked, trying the paint the picture that Ichigo hasn't thought before and this was the first time he talked during the evening.

"And your solution to that," came Byakuya's question.

It was Ashido's turn to explain.

"We will announce her engagement to me, during the noble assembly, tomorrow. We will stay like that, engaged, as she resides with Ichigo, until she becomes legally free of your clan. Then Kurosaki will take over and claim her. Though I know it sounds easier than done, we can pull it. You and I."

"Which one of you has bought the Shido Mansion," Byakuya asked. Apparently he was not going to comment on what Ashido juts said.

"I bought it," Ichigo answered.

"I was planning to have it for Rukia. I guess you pissed Aizen enough that he decided to sold the house as soon as he learned that you were with its rightful owner. I don't know how he knows about legal boundaries regarding her inheritance but somehow he found out," Byakuya said with a sigh and took another sip from his brandy.

"I guess Uliquorra Shiffer has something to do with that. You know he that he used to work for the old Yama-jii. He probably told Aizen about the old man's will," Ashido explained.

"Probably," now it was Byakuya's turn to be pensive.

"So?" Isshin asked the question that was clouding all of their minds.

"I guess its time you honor your promise to your wife and your friend," Byakuya said as he rose to his feet.

He put his brandy glass on the mahogany coffee table and left the room.

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Ichigo followed his father out of the room, exiting after Ashido and Kaien.

"What is this promise is about," he asked silently to his father. Old man smiled brightly at Ichigo, his smile reaching his eyes.

"You don't remember playing with Rukia-chan," he asked his son. Ichigo shook his head. He didn't remember her at all. But then again they were little kids, and apparently the family left town when they were still very little. Or else it was impossible for Ichigo to forget the favorite writer of his youth if he were to be a family friend.

"Your mother met Rukia-chan's father and mother during her years in academy. She was taking same drama classes with Rukia's mother while her father was writing plays for them. All of us moved to Karakura after graduation and attended each others' weddings. Masaki and I decided to have kids later, while Shidou's have their first in their first year. You and Rukia-chan born in the same year so we promised each other that we were going to scheme as hard as we could to get you two married," Isshin grinned at the memory.

As Ichigo looked at the expression on his father's face, he saw a man who once has been happy with his life. The memories of that life could still make him happy, even today when the others have left him tragically, alone, on his own.

Ichigo wanted a life like the one that his father had. He wanted to be able to remember and smile like he did when he was in his middle-ages. He wanted to have it all, and more.

"You didn't need to scheme hard, I guess. I just had to look at her once," Ichigo grinned smugly.

"Yeah you could say that when she was your best buddy who came after school and told you about boys by the river on the road to your houses. I guess you would get into fights, undoubtedly, again, just for a different reason. And my son, with your stubbornness and recklessness, we needed serious scheming," Isshin assured his son as he patted the boys back.

They walked into the room where women were, with equally stupid and smug smiles plastered on their faces.

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"Where are we going again," Rukia asked impatiently while Ichigo's full attention was on the road. He had that stupid smile on his face since the moment he came out of the drawing room. She juts wanted to reach and slap him…hard.

"Ichigo are you going to talk to me," she pestered.

"Why? So that you can chew me out for something I haven't done," he asked, his voice mocking. His left hand was on the steering wheel as his right was resting on the gearshift. He looked relaxed and calm.

"For what you _haven't_ done? Are you kidding me!! What were you thinking, marching in like that to a dinner you were not invited," she nearly screamed at him.

"See? You are chewing my head," Ichigo pointed as he diverted his gaze to throw her an annoyed glance for few seconds.

"Of course I will. And what have you said to the reporter who came to interview you," she demanded. Her arms were crossed in a defensive manner.

"First of all I was invited to that dinner, by your beloved Kano Ashido. And second I had things to talk to your brother about _us_, because you seemed to refuse making things _clear_ for him. I didn't want to poor man to feel lost," he said grinning, not answering her question about the interview. She would read it in Glory, if she wanted to know it that much.

Oh he was so going to get a piece of her mind when they arrived at his house. Rukia wowed to make him pay for his cockiness and smugness.

"For your information I know my brother better than you do," she said, "and there was a reason why I kept it to myself. And I would appreciate if you have respected my decision," she added coldly, pointing that she found his reasoning and actions disrespectful.

"Nothing you say will make me feel sorry for what I have done," Ichigo said. This time his voice was harsh. Good, Rukia was in mood for a huge fight.

Little she knew that Ichigo had no intention to oblige her.

"And what have you done," she asked cocking an eyebrow.

"I told Byakuya that we were involved emotionally and physically. And I had plans for our future," he simply summarized.

Now they were not driving in the streets of Tokyo, they were nearly out of town, to a suburban era.

"Plans and future that you haven't informed me about," Rukia said unbelieving.

"I would like to remind you that you haven't been in your right mind as of lately so that I could _inform_ you, as you so _elegantly_ put," Ichigo said as he turned to corner.

Rukia looked around and saw mansion after mansion with huge gardens and tall walls.

A familiar hand gripped her heart and squeezed.

Even in the darkness of the night she remembered the road.

The road to her home.

"Ichigo," she whispered his name.

The car came to a stop and Ichigo pulled the handbrake.

She looked out of the car window and saw the huge Mansion, dressed in white, still standing solid, as its once occupants have already shattered and scattered.

She held her breath as Ichigo opened her door and held his hand out for her.

She took the hand tentatively but her knees went weak, so Ichigo had to wrap his arm around her waist.

"Why did you bring me here," she asked, her voice shaking.

"To see your house," he said calmly as his thumb stroked her waist above the fabric of her dress.

"This is not my house anymore," she said, sadly, never directing her gaze away from the elegant yet lonely building standing tall ahead of her.

She remembered the garden.

The swing where her father used to read her.

She almost saw herself running down the porch with her hands in the air, running after her pet rabbit.

She felt cold metal pressing into her palm.

"It is still yours," Ichigo whispered from her left.

A tear slipped down her cheek but she didn't cry.

"Why," she asked as she looked up into Ichigo's eyes. She didn't trust her voice not to crack if she talked more, formed more than one word.

"Take it as a token of my love and my promise of a forever with you," he said as he leaned down and pressed his lips gently and sweetly on hers, "Merry Christmas."

She rose on her tiptoes to press herself into his heat as she slid her arms around his neck. His lips were firm on hers, moving against hers, and she felt the warmth he always generated start again. She kissed him back,tightening her hold on him. She felt like she couldn't keep him closer, but she wanted to get as close as possible. She opened her lips and touched his with her tongue, and he slid his tongue into her mouth, tangling with hers, stroking inside her. He brought his hand up to the back of her head, lacing his fingers into her raven locks to hold her close.

She reluctantly broke the kiss.

She wanted to tell him, she had to tell him.

Now.

"I love you too," she whispered, "and merry Christmas," then resumed their kiss.

They stood there as minutes or maybe hours ticked by, in each others' embrace and savored the sweet happiness of being together.

Being able to be together, forever.

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Ichigo's mind was burning with the vivid images of what he wanted to do to Rukia as he hurriedly drove back to their apartment.

He knew that maybe he should leave tonight at where it was. But he could not spend one more minute.

No he needed her, especially after she accepted him and a future with him.

He explained what they talked about on their way back.

He told her about the promise that their parents made.

She laughed. A laugh that filled his heart and mind completely, leaving no place for another thought or feeling.

He loved her.

Desperately.

So the moment his door closed, he was on her, pushing her against the nearest wall as his mouth closed over hers and his tongue invaded her shamelessly. Their feet tangled and they almost lost balance over a few boxes, which probably contained Rukia's personal stuff from her former apartment.

All of her thoughts about tonight left Rukia as she surrendered to him. She knew what was about to come, she knew Ichigo and she knew how he made his point when he had a strong message to cross. He tried everything in his power to conquer, possess and win.

He was in mood for a battle that he was determined to win.

Too little he knew that he has been the only victor for all that time.

And he came closer, his mouth doing wicked things to Rukia's senses.

"I think we should talk about tonight," she told him, meeting his eyes. "It as unnecessary but I don't know how to thank you."

Ichigo's voice was husky in the dark. "Oh, yes, you do." He pushed himself closer, until he was completely against her, only their clothes separating the heat that Ichigo could feel even without touching. He missed this, he missed his Rukia and he worked hard over the weeks to get where he was. Not that he was complaining about the work, it was a pleasure, a challenge once in a life time.

Rukia looked at him and could almost see the wheels turning in his head. His eyes black, casting her in the darkness of his shadow. She touched his face softly and tentatively.

Rukia met his eyes and didn't look away, lifting her chin when the staring match moved past comfortable and made her heart pound. He had that sort of effect on her, his eyes reflected every desire he had, every wish. Then he smiled, and she shivered a little and smiled, too, a slow curve of an invitation, daring him while her heart thudded. His hands grabbed her wrists and lifted them above her head as he pressed them together against the wall of _their_ apartment. In Ichigo's mind, she was surely ready; she should get the picture by now.

"To start with, you could let me do this." He put his hand on her crossed wrists and rested against them, just firmly enough so she couldn't move them. It had been so long since he'd touched her that he let his eyes go closed just from the sheer pleasure of the heat of her wrists in his hand. "And this." He took his free hand and hooked a finger inside the zipper on the back of her evening dress, slowly sliding the zipper down.

"Hey." Rukia leaned forward to pull her arms down, and his hand closed hard on her wrists. He didn't want to let her go, not now, not ever again. And with this though he perfectly knew that he was in no position to make it to _their_ bedroom for the first round. Second round was definitely going to be on the bed. He missed rolling her under him. But he was planning to settle with this…for now.

"And this," he said as he continued like she wasn't the one who protested few seconds ago. His free hand slid as it parted the zipper halfway and was on her breast, his thumb tracing a circle over the cotton of her dress while he smiled into her eyes, his breath coming faster. He felt her shiver, and he let his thumb slip into her dress, into the warm hollow between her breasts, making them tense and lift against him. He loved her breasts thoroughly and he was planning to enjoy them tonight.

Rukia felt her breath go.

He leaned to kiss the hollow of her neck, and she sucked in a sharp breath as his lips tickled her throat. Then he kissed her again, lower this time, as he slid open the rest of her zipper, slowly, echoing the slide with kisses above, until her dress fell open as he licked into the warm place between her breasts. He let the top of her dress pool around the waist, her puffy skirt still remaining as an obstacle. His hand slid against the satin of her strapless bra, baring her to his eyes. It was a cream colored lace and satin piece with a little violet ribbon. He wondered how her panties looked like and let a wild fire settle both in his heart and groin.

Rukia realized the violent look in his eyes. He looked at her with such satisfaction and possession that she went dizzy with anticipation. Then, after what seemed like hours, he bent to trace the swell of her breast with his tongue, and she began to shudder and soften inside.

She could see the curve of his bicep against the edge of his white shirt sleeve as he pinned her hands to the wall, the strong line of his neck, feel his hand on her wrists, the other pressed hot against her ribs as he moved his tongue across her skin. She ached to feel him under her hands, to unbutton his shirt and pull him to her, to feel the satin texture of his chest against her breasts and the muscles in his back flex under her fingers. "Let me go," he heard her whispering. "Let me go so I can touch you."

But that was not an option. He would lose the little control he had if she put those hands on him. And worst if she had her way with those hands…

He lifted his head to stare into her eyes, and shook his head, smiling at her and sending heat into her bones.

"Not a chance," he said, and kissed her on the mouth, taking her voice and her breath as he licked into her, making her squirm against him as he pressed her against the cool wall. His hand curved around her breast, his thumb stroked across her and then hooked around the edge of her bra, and let her feel the satin slide across her nipple as he pulled the cup down, slowly, torturously.

He felt her whole body stiffen against him.

Served her right for all his sleepless nights and restless days.

Rukia felt his hair tickle softly on her throat as he bent to her, and she shuddered at the damp heat of his mouth on her, shuddered harder when he began to suck, shuddered harder still when he didn't stop. She didn't want him to stop, never.

But they had to pull it together and talk. Make things right. So she tried to stop him while she still had few coherent thoughts left.

"Let me go," she said, and tried to pull her hands from his grip so she could touch him as she rolled her hips toward him, but he tightened his hold, crushing her wrists together, stretching her arms higher, his lips moving against the swell of her breast, moving to bare the other, to tease her again with his mouth. His free hand moved down, into the skirt of her dress, which was still secure around her waist. She said, "No," but she pressed against his hand because it felt so good and she wanted to feel him everywhere. His hand slid around, into the back of her panties, into the stretchy silkiness of her underwear, around her curves there and under to hold her tight against him, shoving fabric down until she felt the silk and lace crumple around her ankles. He pressed her back into the cold, smooth wall with his hips, pulsing against her while he smiled against her mouth. Then she felt his fingers slide into her, the hot slick inside of her, and she moaned softly because he felt so good.

"Louder," he said in her ear as he stroked her. "Scream," and felt her shake her head but she was breathing faster, sighing with his hand.

He was breathing pretty hard too. He knew that he must have sound like some sort of an animal. But he couldn't help it. It has been too long, too damn long.

"We better stop," Rukia whispered, "lets talk and then go upstairs."

"I don't think so," Ichigo whispered against her ear, she was trying his patience tonight, he didn't want to talk and if there were things to be said, he could say them without words. "I think we do this now. Right up against this wall."

His voice was hard and commending. She shivered.

"It's been so long," he said, his voice low, husky. "So long since I've been inside you, watched you come, made you come."

He slid his fingers higher, stroked her faster, made her breath go and her throat dry.

"Ichigo" she could only whisper his name.

"So we do it now."

Demand of the ruler.

The will of the possessor.

The absolute sovereignty of her heart.

Surrender.

His voice hummed in her blood.

"Ichigo," she whispered breathless.

Belonging.

"I'm going to take you hard against this wall," he whispered into her ear as his fingers moved into her. "Harder than you've ever been had before. So hard you're going to feel me with every move you make for a week. Scratch that. You will feel me for a month. You're going to remember you were mine every time you breathe."

He felt her shudder under the demand of his mouth, under the pressure of his hand, but mostly under what he'd said, he knew the point he made has reached its home.

His fingers slid inside her, and she gave herself up. The heat and the prickle in his blood spread low and thick, and she moved with it, against Ichigo's hand but with his rhythm. When Rukia thought about his hand, everything turned darker, Ichigo's fingers, long and strong and calloused, inside her, invading her, moving into her and then out to her hard little center.

_There,_ she thought, and when his fingers slid wetly there, she said, _"There,"_ out loud, and moved to help him, shivering at the stroke. "There," she said again, just to say it, and when he bent his head to her breast, she said, "Oh, _there,"_ and stretched to meet him.

Everything in Ichigo turned to liquid as the fire in him set his blood boiling for more.

To take more.

To conquer completely.

" _Into me,"_ she whispered, and all sanity left him as his fingers left her, left her and she rocked forward, her hips following his heat, pressing against his fingers as they moved down his own zipper, pressing until his hand was on her again, not just his hand, and he let her feel him thick between her thighs.

He breathed, _"Yes,"_ into her mouth as he kissed her, felt his body slide down hers until his hand moved between her legs and guided him hard into her.

He shuddered at the tightness of her, then she deliberately opened herself to him as he moved inside her, pinning her against the wall with each thrust of his hips. _Into me,_ she told him, no she demanded. She wanted him like she used to. She wanted him in the way he wanted her to want him. She wanted him in the way he wanted her.

He felt himself smooth and thick sliding inside her, splitting her softness open, hard inside her, all the way inside her, taking him, all of him. It was breathtaking, astounding, going into her like this, thinking about her like this; they'd never been there, not like this. For the first time, she was more real inside than out, all blood and flesh and nerve and mindless, endless pleasure filled Ichigo.

He lifted her hips with his, pushing her up on her toes with each breath he took, thrusting her off balance each time, trapping her against the cold, smooth wall. The tingle in his blood turned to crackle, a dark itch under his skin that made him demand more, possess more.

When Rukia opened her eyes and found Ichigo staring at her, he took her with him, to wherever he was and he demanded that she stayed with him.

"Rukia," he whispered and let go of her wrists to cradle her face and kiss her, and felt her clutch him as she gave herself up. He whispered her name over and over as he moved inside her, looked in her eyes as he took her, and when she dug her fingernails into his shoulders, he slid his hands to her hips to move against her harder, faster, shuddering, never taking his eyes from her, his fingers digging into her flesh, all of it part of the dark surging through his body, everywhere, everywhere she opened in him.

"Oh, _God,_ Rukia," Ichigo heard himself saying, looking intently in her eyes. He kissed her hard, and the dark deepened and tightened. He felt her writhe against him as it burned and spread and throbbed, and felt her shudder with it, making small breathless cries as Ichigo thrust into her, his blood screaming, tight, everything inside her tight, tighter, and then she cried out "Ichigo" and came, staring into his eyes, crying again with each break and shudder, each spasm flinging her into the next, hard, hard again, hard again, hard again, over and over and over, until she clung to him, defenseless and open and ecstatic, safe in his arms.

At that moment he didn't care about anything except how dark and beautiful and shattering it was inside her.

Then Rukia collapsed and he held her tightly because her knees had gone and there was nothing left of her except ache and quiver and satisfaction. He felt so good against her, his white shirt soft and clean yet damp with their sweat, under her cheek, his chest hard under the shirt, his hands digging into her back.

Then Ichigo bent to kiss her, his mouth soft on hers, and she sighed from the sheer lightness of it.

He slowly lifted her and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Like the first time he took her to his bed, he carried her, never letting her go as he buried his face between her neck and shoulder, inhaling deeply. The arousal for him was there as well as her scent, which drove him wild with every little molecule.

He felt dizzy as he climbed the stairs towards their bedroom.

"You didn't have to buy the house," he heard her whisper. No he had to buy the house but he didn't expect her to understand his reason. He wanted them together, there and she accepted what he offered.

He also wanted her to have a piece of what she thought she lost.

He wasn't afraid of her loyalty to her family. She would honor them and live their way.

With him.

"Either I was going to or Ashido. And you don't expect me to lose to him, right," he asked with a mocking tone, his breath caressing her throat softly, his smile on her soft skin.

"No, but its still too much," she pressed. He didn't know what she wanted him to say.

He didn't want to say anything.

"No its not," so he simply put, " nothing is too much if you are happy," he heard himself add.

Ichigo pulled her onto the bed and rolled her under him, and the weight of him was so erotic for Rukia that she wrapped herself around him and arched up into him. She missed him so much, one for one night was not enough. She was never going to get enough of him.

She could make him pay for the stunt they pulled with Ashido later; right now she just needed him. He yanked her dress up over her head and then kissed her hard on the lips, his tongue hot and demanding, like he thought she could give him everything.

He already gave her more than she could hope for.

He gave her dreams.

He gave her family back.

He gave her himself.

Could she give him everything? He wanted her.

All of her, he said.

He already had her.

All of her.

It was just that he didn't' know to what extent.

Ichigo licked her throat, found her breast and drove her crazy, pushing her toward a hot darkness, a place she would never be before because she'd never been with anybody like Ichigo before, and if his months long declarations were any indicator she would never be with anyone but him…for eternity.

And to put it honestly and simply, she didn't want to.

She couldn't think of herself being with anyone but him, anyway. He, the dangerous kind of guy, the kind of guy who'd say, "I don't give a flying fuck," which turned her on and made her want to kill him all at once, the kind of guy who made a woman mindless.

But right now there was a part of her that wasn't cooperating, that was still a little mind-whacked that she was with Ichigo, and that she could be with him, that no one was going to take him away if she loved him. And only him.

But she wouldn't give up hanging on to reason, that wouldn't give up _thinking._ How could she when everything felt like a freaking story out of a novel, so surreal, so…dream like.

She wanted to talk. To make it real. To make him reassure her that it was not just a dream.

His mouth moved on her breast, and she went under, loving it, squirming under him_,_ and then he'd suck harder. By now, he knew everything that drove her crazy, which made her want to scream his name, which made her feel like he could possess her completely. And that he already did.

He bit her shoulder a little hard for Rukia's taste but she could understand his urgency, she was thankful that they could make upstairs for the second round. He yanked her cream lace bra completely, which Shinji chose for her dress, down. _Oh, god, that feels good_! She thought, anticipating what was about to happen like a child anticipating a trip to candy store.

After half an hour, she felt like a fishing float. That was Ichigo for you. When he took his time, he would make you forget your name. And truth be told she kept him away far too long so he was probably in torture mode.

He would build her up, but never let her touch the ground. Left her floating, her head above the clouds.

He would leave her thirsty, just whispering the promise of a drop of water when he had the whole bottle.

Ichigo slid his hand down as his fingers trailed a hot spot down her body. His hand shifted to her back and traced her spine. A bolt of electricity shocked her and she trembled in his arms like she has never before.

Ichigo licked her stomach and went lower, and she let her head roll back, her raven hair spilling on his- their now- pillow, leaving a part of her scent, the scent, which he claimed, that drove him crazy. He stripped off his shirt and pants, she hasn't realized that he was fully dressed all that time, and now they were naked. He was gorgeous, then again he has always been. God was probably on his good day when he created Kurosaki Ichigo. He was lovely and lean and loosely muscled, reaching for her. She could see his need and want in his eyes.

His eyes.

She could look into them as much as, and as long as she wanted.

"Well, this is different for us," she told him brightly, trying to be urbane and cope with the situation as he rolled against her.

"No, not different," he said, his voice husky and his eyes unfocused, "never different. I always knew where I belonged and where you belonged".

He pulled her close on top of him and slid his hand down her stomach so that her heart flipped and flopped. He slid his hand between her thighs as if to make his point about where he belonged; his fingers slipping inside her

_Don't stop!_ Her mind screamed.

He rolled on top of her, the stroke and the pressure of his hand dragging her under again.

And then he spread her legs with his hips, his hand slipping between them, making her crazy, mindless again, his fingers finally parting her, and then he was inside her, and she arched under him because it was so good being filled like that, solid, hard, and full, arched to take all of him she could, digging her nails into his shoulders because he felt so amazingly good.

He said something, choked it out, and she couldn't hear through the haze of heat, but the sound of his voice was enough to get her mind back.

___She had something to tell him, she wanted to say it again. _He thrust harder inside her and she fell into him again and then he moved again and she went back to heat and shudder and rhythm.

His rhythm.

Their rhythm.

Ichigo moved higher up her body and rocked into her, and she lost herself again.

He slid out of her, and she clutched at him, but he kissed her hard, his tongue trusting back and forth, mimicking what he should be doing down there. She wanted him there, moving, filling, completing…

He moved down to take her breast just as hard, she still didn't know why he was so fascinated with that part of her anatomy. Then he moved lower, after he gave the same attention to the other, to bite her stomach and lick into her and then his tongue found her and she writhed under the shock, he has done that before, but this…this felt different.

His hands held her hips in place and she couldn't bring her mind back any more, he was too much, and she moved into the tension he was building, crying out mindlessly as the dark loomed in front of her. She was going to fall if he didn't stop.

_Don't stop!_ Her heart screamed.

And then he did, and she reeled herself back, grateful and disappointed until he slid up her body again and plunged into her hard. He rocked into her, saying _yes_ in her ear, not gloating at all.

_Oh, God, Rukia,_ he said. Again, for the second time, with the same tone, with the same need.

Her name on his lips, husky, made her clutch inside, made her twist against him, and she caught herself once more, which was her last coherent moment, before he ripped her back down to his darkness, his hand rough on her face, his eyes black from being tight inside her. He said, _"Come for me!"_ through clenched teeth, and she looked into his eyes and he was _Ichigo,_ and that was all she needed to break under him, shocked and startled, fast and sharp and hard.

Then he collapsed against her, and she clutched him as she tried to remember how to breathe. He slid off her body, letting his hand slip across her stomach where he'd been, down between her legs so she moaned, up to her breast so she rolled to feel the pressure. Then he leaned over and kissed her breast as she curled into him; and then her mouth. He tasted hot and potent and delicious and then she let her mind come back permanently while he rolled over on his back beside her, taking her with him, on him.

And from that moment on she knew this was how it was going to be-how it was going to feel- for the rest of their lives.

And she felt content and secure for the first time in her life.

He didn't need words to tell her that.

He didn't need the words to reassure her.

No power on earth could take him away from her.

And he would make sure no power on earth could take her away from him.

That was his promise and Kurosaki Ichigo always kept his promises.

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**rabbit's note:** I feel like crying. The last 22 pages, the last 9,840 words of this long journey. My first story is finished. God it has been more than two years and this story has been effected by every up and down in my life. I guess my moods changed my words, shaped them into moments for our favorite couple.

My real wish is to see them together, in the manga.

I want Kubo to give me that.

And I want to thank all of my beloved readers who supported me and still read this even if I slipped in and out of this story for so long. I would like to take pride in saying that this story is longer than many romance novels out there and you guys are behind this, with your support.

I will see you in my other stories.

Now let me know, one last time, how you feel and what you think.

Cheers and cookies!


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